Hunter X Hunter, with my OC
by raijuuxo6
Summary: Hakumi is a thief who joins Gon to search for his father. Before their journey, they were told by Mito that Gon is her twin. They meet very interesting people during their journey and she unintentionally falls in love with one of them. /KilluaxOC/
1. Gon And I Want To Be Hunters

Hey guys! ^^, raijuuxo6 here! Please review, I'd love some good criticism. ^^, Thanks for taking the time to read this A/N :] I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter, just my OC. Thankies.

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//Afternoon//Hakumi's POV

"Gon! Get out of there!" I shouted.

"I can't. I'm stuck!" Gon replied.

"Stay there! I'll help you."

"Okay." He said as he looked at me like I was weird or something.

_I just said stay th-- ooohhh… that's it. Ehehe._ I ran to Gon and tried to help him break the vine but we weren't strong enough to do it. Then, a man jumped out of nowhere before the Kitsume-guma could kill us. He had long (waist-length) blonde hair and a red beret.

"Sorry. The rule states that any large animal that harms a human must be eliminated." The man pulled out a sword and killed the kitsume-guma. I know my reaction at that time—scared. The man went near us and cut the vine.

"Can you both stand?" He asked.

I only said yes and Gon suddenly stood up. They were looking at me but I don't know what it means. It took me 2 seconds to get what that look means. "Oh! Right. Sorry." I said as I stood up.

The man put back his sword and suddenly punched me and Gon and we both landed on our backs.

"Who the hell would enter Ebibuna Growing Grounds at this season?!" The man said with an angry voice. _Why the hell would you punch us without any reason?!_ He pointed at a mark on a tree, "Look! That's a signal marking its territory. Any animal would run away if they saw it." The man shouted. _Hey! F.Y.I. We're not animals y'know!_ "That's how dangerous it is. Didn't your father teach you that?!" the man continued. Gon sat and I stood up. We were both looking down and our backs are facing the man. "I should've ignored the bird's warning. I haven't killed anything in a long time."

"I don't have a father. My mother… died in an accident right after I was born. I live with my aunt." Gon said.

"And I don't even know who mother or father is. Mito-san said that I was only found outside their doorstep." I said, still not facing him.

"I'm sorry to hear that." the man apologized to us.

"It's okay. Thanks for helping us anyway." Gon said.

We heard the kitsume-guma cub cry, trying to 'wake' its parent. "What are you going to do with the cub?" I asked.

"Eliminate it." _What? What are you thinking?!_ "Even if it survives, there is a risk that it will attack people for revenge" he said pulling out his sword.

Gon ran and took the cub and I stood in front of the man. "No. Don't kill it. We'll take care of it." I said trying to protect the cub. _Its parent died, why shouldn't I protect it?! It's cute, too._

"Impossible. Kitsume-gumas doesn't like people."

"Even so, I…" Gon looked at him.

"What if it grew up with people?" I asked. I looked at his mouth and he was about to say something. I waited for it and he closed his mouth.

"Do as you like."

//Night Time//

It was dark when we got home. I opened the door quietly and came in. I waited for Gon to come in. I was about to walk when I suddenly heard the front door slam. I looked back at Gon. I glared at him.

"Gon? Kumi? Is that you?" Mito-san's voice came from the left room. There are footsteps I hear that is getting louder by the second so that means she's coming here. "You're late. I've told you many times to--" Mito-san looked at us in surprise. That's a weird look so I looked at Gon and --we looked like we came back from the dead. Gon's shirt was tore in the shoulder part showing the kitsume-guma's scratch. There was also dirt all over our body.

"We're sorry Mito-san." Gon said.

"Gon! Where did you get these injuries?" Mito-san worriedly asked and put her hands on his shoulders.

"I… I--"

_Sheeet! _I quickly thought of a reason, "W-we were walking in the woods a-and he tripped." I said quickly.

"Y-yeah… I tripped in the woods. That's right." Gon said and grinned. Mito opened the door and pushed us outside.

"What? Mito-san! Why?"

"Mito-san please let us in." Gon banged on the door.

"Those injuries are not from tripping." _How'd she know?!_ "If one of you doesn't tell the truth, both of you are going to stay outside all night." Mito-san said. I don't wanna stay here all night! It's cold!

So I sighed and said, "Okay. I understand Mito-san. We lied."

"We're sorry, Mito-san." Gon added. Mito opened the door and looked at us.

"Gon found a Kitsume-guma that got separated from its parent." I explained.

"So we tried to catch it, and I got scratched." Gon continued.

Mito smiled and said, "Okay. Both of you can come in." She stepped aside so that we could pass. "Before dinner, we have to treat you injuries."

"Okay Mito-san." Gon said and we walked inside.

///NEXT DAY/////Morning//

"My name is Kite. I'm a Hunter." The man (Kite) said. _Hunter? What's that._

"What's a Hunter?" Gon asked while we were watching the cub eat.

"The world is filled with mysteries. Hunters chase the mysteries and rare items."

"But why'd you come here?" I asked.

"I'm looking for my teacher."

"Teacher?" Gon and I said at the same time.

"Yeah. The final exam is to find him. But this is harder than any of the hunts. I will search the whole world for him."

"Wow. I think it _is_hard. Searching the whole world for one little person. It might take years to finish that mission. He might be even moving from one place to another." I said. it's REALLY hard.

"Gon. Yesterday, you said your parents died, right?" Kite asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Gon replied while petting the cub.

"Did you know your dad?"

"Hmm, Mito-san didn't really tell me."

"I see. What's his name?"

"Jin Freaks is what he's called."

"Gon… Your father is alive. He's alive and he's somewhere in the world." Gon stood up and listened to Kite and I kept listening. "Your dad, Jin Freaks, is my teacher. In other words, he's a Hunter."

"Hunter…?" Gon repeated. _Hunter… interesting._

"Yes, the _best_ Hunter in the world."

My eyes widened. _Much more interested!_ So I stood up and said, "Whoa, Gon, Gon, Gon! Your father is cool! I wish I have a father like yours." _Or I, too, want to be his sister._

//Night Time//Gon's POV

We just finished eating dinner at home when I remembered what Kite said earlier _'He's a Hunter… The best Hunter in the world'_. I was very curious so I asked, "Mito-san, what do you know about Jin?"

Mito-san turned to me and I saw her worried/ mad face, "Gon, why are you suddenly asking?"

"I… want to know about my father. Tell me Mito-san" I answered.

Her face changed, "There's nothing special." She closed her eyes, "He was a normal person. He worked at this store and died in an accident before you were born. There's nothing else I can tell you." _Wh-why won't she tell the truth? Why is she lying to me? _"I know it's tough, but I wanted you to forget about those who died. I can't be you father… butt I've tried not to make you sad." She explained. I replied nothing but a nod. "I'm glad you understand."

(A/N: Wow! Kumi isn't part of this scene!)

///LATER///Hakumi's POV

"Why did Mito-san lie? Also, if my dad is alive, why doesn't he visit me? Does it mean that I'm not needed?" Gon wondered.

_Why does he think like that? He isn't a pessimist! Who are you and what have you done to Gon?!_ "Don't think like that, Gon. Why do you think Mito-san took care of you? Mito-san wouldn't just waste the time taking care of you if you aren't really needed." I gave a pretty good reason… not.

"Well… you have a point there… but, why is Mito-san lying to me?"

_Whoops! What will I say now?!_ "I-I don't know. But she must have a good reason." _Whew!_

///NEXT DAY///Someone's POV

"Mom, I'm afraid… of what Gon said. And that they're going to leave someday." Mito said.

"If you're their stepmother, understand that… a boy must leave his parents someday. And it's the same as Kumi. That's something you can't change even though you're hiding the truth from them."

"Like _him_?"

"Yes. The light in their eyes are just like their father's. It's in their blood. I didn't expect Kumi to be like him even when she doesn't know the truth."

_"Yes. They're a good Hunter material. Good Hunters are liked by animals."__ (Kite)_

//Afternoon//

Gon and I were fishing in the swamp. I saw Gon pull out the card that Kite left. He stared at it and I noticed we're quiet. _Grr… I want to break the silence!_

_"You can take the hunter exam when you are 12. Until then, spend your time any way you want."__I remembered what Kite said._

I looked at him and asked, "Are you going to take _it_? I will." And I looked back at the sky. "I think it will be more fun if we become Hunters." I chuckled.

"Uhh, well. Okay. But let's hope that Mito-san will agree to this. And if we do, let's go and be Hunters together." Gon replied with a smile.

//Night Time//

Mito and Obasan are sitting in the dining room. Gon and I put a card in the table.

"Is that…" Mito said.

"…a Hunter exam request card?" Obasan continued.

_Yes! :]_ "We want to take the Hunter exam." Gon and I both said. At that time, we were still smiling.

"But, why?" Mito-san asked. _Isn't the answer obvious? We want to be Hunters. _

"We know everything." Gon said. "That dad is alive, and that he's a Hunter. I want to become a Hunter and find my dad. Please understand Mito-san."

Mito-san stood up and walked away, but before she could get out, Obasan said something. "These 3 years, I knew by watching Gon and Kumi that they would say this one day."

"So, will--" Gon and Kumi said.

"NO! You can't be a hunter!" Mito-san didn't let us finish. We were surprised and our smiles faded. Right now, Mito-san is not facing us so I can't see what her face looks like.

"Mito, understand their feelings." Obasan said trying to give us a chance.

"Okay. But under one condition for each of you." _Yes! Yes! Yes! I'd do ALMOST anything._

///NEXT DAY/////Afternoon//Someone's POV

Mito was watching after the store

Someone came in and said to a customer, "Gon has to fish a monster in the swamp?"

The other man said, "Yeah. Within a week."

"Can he really do it with that small body?"

"I don't think so."

"I also heard that Kumi won't be stealing for six months!"

"Well, I don't know if she can do that. When she steals _some__thing_ and she gets caught, she said she won't do it again but a few hours later, here we go again."

"Luckily, she doesn't steal _money_ or mug someone. But even if she does steal money, she would return it. Sometimes I don't get that kid"

"I don't think she's bad at all. I think she steals something just for fun and return it again sooner or later."

"Mito-chan, you sure gave them a hard task."

"They can never be a Hunter if they can't do this." Mito replied.

///Meanwhile in the Swamp///Hakumi's POV

I was sitting with Gon while he was fishing. "Gon, do you need my help in fishing that monster?" I asked him.

"No. But, thanks Kumi. I wanted to get it myself. I don't want to cheat." Gon replied.

"You're lucky that you can cheat in the condition Mito-san gave you. As for me, I shouldn't steal anything in six months! How cruel is that?! Good thing I made it to 6 months. I don't want to forget how to steal!"

_**~flashback~**_

"Gon will have to fish the monster in the swamp." Mito-san said. "And as for you Kumi… you shouldn't steal anything in two years."

"WHAT??!?!! In 2 years?! NO! I can't do that..! I might forget how to steal!" I complained. _Being a thief is fun._

"Well you can't join the Hunter exam!" Mito-san said.

"Well, what about for six months? I think stealing can also be a part of the hunter exam y'know." I replied. _Well, it's true! I might forget how to steal._

"One year."

"Six months! Please Mito-san! Please!" I begged her.

"Hmm. Well, fine."

"Yes! Thank you Mito-san! I love you!" And I hugged Mito-san to death. _Just kidding. _I just hugged Mito-san tightly. _:]_

_**~end flashback~**_

"Hehe." There was a moment of silence after Gon's laugh. "Uhh… Kumi I was just wondering… since when did you learn to steal?" He asked.

"Hmm… good question. I don't know. I think it was the time when I left. I stole many things in the docks… I think?" I said. "I was very hungry back then and I don't have money. My stomach forced me to steal one little fish and stealing something is very sddicting. Hahaha." I laughed

"Really? Hehe. Cool, I didn't know you could steal even before you were 5." Right after Gon said that, the rod moved. "Hey! Here it comes!" Gon pulled the rod as hard as he can. Instead of pulling the monster out, he ended up being pulled by the monster. Luckily there was a tree branch to stop him from being pulled. I was just sitting by a rock yawning and I chuckled. Gon held the rod tightly but it was useless. The rod broke and he fell on his back. And his shirt was ripped, too.

///LATER///

Gon and I were outside the house. It was nighttime so we tried to go through our room's window. I, being a thief and all, am great in breaking in and all that… so, I got in first. I quickly hid under Gon's bed. I waited for Gon. Unfortunately, when he was about to get in, he accidentally touched the chimes.

"You failed again." Mito-san was there all along.

I didn't notice. _I hope she just--_ "Achuu!" It was a sneeze but sounded more like a hiccup.

"Don't even try to hide from me Kumi."

I rolled. I looked at my clothes and it was _WOW! It's dirty. -_-._ "Mito-san." I said and sat on Gon's bed.

"Mito-san, I'm sorry I ripped the shirt." Gon said.

"Why don't you give up?"

"I don't want to. I'll get it. It's a promise. I'm going to become a Hunter!" Gon said.

"Me too!" Kumi agreed.

"Once I become a Hunter, I'm going to find my dad." Gon continued.

Mito closed her eyes and said, "What's the use of finding him? He left you when you were only a baby." I was surprised at what Mito-san said. "That's right. Jin was a Hunter. He went on long journeys and came back only a few times. My sister was sad when Jin was gone. It was tough looking at her when she's sad. I despised Jin. I thought, 'Screw Hunters'. He left his family and child… and you're trying to become a Hunter to find him?" I just kept quiet because it was none of my business. This is family matters. I must not eavesdrop nor get in anyone's business.

"But… It's a job worthy to continue even if it meant leaving his child. It must be a great job, to be a Hunter."

Mito-san stepped back and said, "You truly are…HIS child!" Right after Mito said that, she walked out. There was silence after that. _Wow! Really! I'm going to sleep._ _I hate silence, even when I don't like to talk much._

///NEXT DAY///

Gon, Obasan, and I were eating in the dining room. _Duh! Of course we eat at the dining room! Where else would we eat?! In the bathroom?!._

"Where's Mito-san?" Gon asked Obasan.

"Today's the last day to fulfill your promise. Hurry up and eat it."

"Okay." Gon was just about to eat when Mito came in and put something on the table. It was wrapped around a red cloth. _I'm guessing it's a… never mind._

"Open it." Mito said to Gon.

Gon opened it and found a fishing rod. "This is…"

"Jin used to use that rod. If you can't catch it with that…"

Gon's face lightened up. "Mito-san, thank you! I'll catch the monster of the swamp with this!" Gon suddenly ran outside while I continued to eat.

"Go on Kumi. Follow Gon. Help him catch the monster."

"But, he said--"

"It's okay. You can just watch him catch the monster."

"Well, okay." Then I ran outside and followed Gon.

///LATER///

Many people from the vilage gathered around the house looking at the monster from the swamp -- which Gon caught.

"You promised Mito-san. I can take the Hunter exam now, right?" , said Gon while holding out the Hunter exam request card. "'Don't become a person who can't keep promises' Mito san, you're the one who told me that."

Mito-san took OUR request card and did what she had to do. After that, she said, "Do as you like."

_Wait, wait, wait a minute!_ "Huh? Why, Mito-san? I haven't even fulfilled my promise yet." I asked. _It's not fair… but I'm kinda happy._

"You haven't stolen anything in 1 whole week."

"But the promise is six months--"

"It's okay. You can go."

"Thank you, Mito-san." And then Mito-san walked inside the house. "And now, Gon. All we have to do is, wait for two years. At the same time, we can hang out with Gonta (The kitsume-guma)."

///TWO YEARS LATER///

"I'm sorry, Gon. I lied. Jin didn't leave you. I took away Jin's custody of you in court."

"Yeah. I knew it was a lie. It's because you don't look at my face when you lie."

"Kumi, Gon, I think it's time to let you two know about this secret before you two leave. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier."

"What is it Mito-san?"

"You two are…"

"What, Mito-san?"

"Twins."

O.O :] "Did you hear that, Gon?"

"Yeah, I heard it!"

"What? Y-you're not mad at me?"

"Why would we be mad at you? We've always wanted to have a sibling."

"But this is better!"

"We're twins!" _Hey… something is wrong here…_ "B-but… why don't we look alike?"

"You look alike. The only difference is your eyes."

"Oh, I get it! When I widen my eyes, I look like you!" I said to Gon.

"Sorry, I lied to you, Kumi. I said I found you on our doorstep."

"It's okay Mito-san. I forgive you."

"Well, you should get going now. Take care."

"Okay, Mito-san. You too!" I said. Gon and I hugged Mito-san and left.


	2. The Ship To DOLE

Thanks for reviewing! ^^, I hope you like this next ep.

DISCLAIMER: I think this is the last time I'm gonna say it. I don't own Hunter X Hunter except for Hakumi, who is my OC.

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//Morning//Hakumi's POV

Gon and I were running around Whale Island dock when something caught our attention. A person said on the stage, "How about it? If you can beat this Hunter, you'll receive a cash reward. Plus! a free ticket to see the Big, Rare, and Unusual Animal Show! Is anyone up to the challenge?"

Interesting. "Gon, want to try it?"

"I don't know."

"Hmm, okay. Let's just watch."

///LATER///

"Now, he's beaten four in a row. Are there anymore challengers? Even the great _Hunter_ may be tired by now."

"That person is a Hunter?"

_Hahaha. He believes in that poser?_ "Gon, don't be silly. I think they're just scamming." I whispered to Gon and chuckled.

"Anymore challengers? If not, the cash reward goes to this Hunter. Anyone strong out there?" The host said.

"I guess I'll try." Someone raised a hand.

"Oh! A challenger!" The host said. "Hey brother, you look strong." He said after seeing the 'new challenger'. The crowd also made noises.

"Want to bet?" I asked Gon.

"Of course… not!" Gon replied. "You always win. I don't want to bet."

"Hmm, fine. But thanks for the compliment though."

"What compliment?"

"Oh, nothing!"

I looked at Gon and I knew he figured out what I was talking about. "Hey, that's not a compliment!"

"Okay." I laughed. "I take it as a compliment though."

Gon sighed "Suit yourself."

The two men were already armwrestling. I felt something weird… the man with the briefcase was… hungry. The so called 'Hunter' won and rubbed his wrist after the match.

"Hey Gon, do you think the man with the briefcase will win if he wasn't hungry?" I asked and pointed at the poser's hand. "Look." The man's hand looked hurt.

"You're pretty good for an amateur." The 'Hunter' man said. "But not good enough to beat me." And then he walked away.

"Hey Gon, watch me." I whispered to Gon. "Hey! 'Hunter Man'!" I shouted as I raise my right hand with an evil face. _Muwahahahaha! _The crowd made noises. "The show's not over yet!" I shouted and jumped on the stage.

"What? Is this a joke?" The man asked.

"No. Are you afraid to arm wrestle with me?" I said trying to challenge the man.

"I'll make this quick." The man said.

_If you can :]_ "Well then. Let's get started." I said with an evil smile on my face.

"Hey, Kumi!" I looked at the audience and Gon waved at me. "Go for it." He shouted and winked at me.

_Hehehe :] of course I will_! I smirked. "Aahahaha… I know what you mean." Then the arm wrestling started. At first, I almost won but I was not strong enough. If I was only bigger I could defeat him so the poser beat me. The crowd was amazed by my strength. That is because… I was an arm wrestling _champion_ in our place.

"The show is over now." The man forced a smile.

_Haha. Whose hand hurts now? LOSER!_ I smirked and with my left hand on my hips, I used my right hand to put an L on my forehead and stuck my tongue out. I know I called him loser even when I'm the one who lost. Everyone left but I stayed. I laughed at myself. "Hey, Gon…" I turned around. "Where are you?" I ran to find Gon. "Found you!" I saw him following the man with a briefcase. "Hey Gon! Don't you run away from me." I yelled at him as I run after them. When I caught up to him, he was with another man. "Gon! I finally caught up with you... What are you doing Gon?"

"This man, he knows where the ship to Dole is." He said as he points to the man beside him.

"Hmm, well I don't trust him." I whispered.

"You there, stop." I bent to the right and saw the man with the briefcase earlier who arm wrestled the Hunter Man. "That's an old trick from the book… tricking a naïve kids by acting friendly, so you can sell him off."

"Told you we can't trust him." I whispered to Gon.

"Pops?"

"What the…? What are you saying?" The stranger tried to explain

"Why do you look so guilty? Or nervous? Or tense? Or--" I said to the stranger.

"I was just doing this out of kindness…" I saw the man pulled a knife out of his pocket.

I was surprised. "HEY!" I shouted.

The man fell down, "Damn it." He said and ran away. "Get out of my way!"

"Thank you, po--… Eh?" Gon tried to _thank_ him.

"Thanks for the apple, it was good. See ya!" The man with the briefcase said.

_He's leaving us here?_ "How rude!" I shouted so that the man could hear. But, he didn't mind.

"Let's just follow him." Gon whispered.

"But why?"

"He knows about the ship to Dole."

"Again?" _There sure are a lot of posers here_. "Well, we'll give it a try. Maybe he really knows." I sighed. We followed the man everywhere he went. Sometimes, he would run but couldn't outrun us. _Muwahahahaha._

He stopped running and said, "Damn it. That running made me hungrier now."

"Thief! Stop!"

I noticed Gon looked at me. "What? Don't look at me! I didn't steal anything! Or did I? Muwahahahaha!" I laughed evilly (again). I looked at the man we're following. "Hey, Gon I think I found my _brother_! Look he's _stealing_, too." I whispered to Gon and chuckled.

"Later kid!" The man ran away from us.

"What're we going to do now?"

"I don't know. Follow him?"

"Brilliant. Come on!"

///LATER///

"Damn. You two are persistent kids."

"Thanks." I said taking another non-compliment as a compliment.

"That isn't a compliment" He frowned

"Okay. Sure. Whatever." _*evil laugh*_

"You should know now from what just happened that the world is filled with guys like me." You mean, guys like _me_—thieves. *evil laugh* "A little kid like you two can't become a Hunter in a world like this. If you understand, go back to your mom."

"Uhh… sorry we don't understand. And FYI we don't have a mom." I said. Another man came and stole the briefcase of the man I was talking to.

"Shoot! Wait you thief!" The man chased the thief.

"Your rod, Gon."

"Right." Gon, then, threw his rod and caught the briefcase.

"What?" The man looked surprised when Gon hooked the briefcase with his rod. Gon and I returned the briefcase back to the owner which we were _stalking_.

He frowned and said, "It's the Kaijinmaru. The ship you are going to board. Departure is at six."

"Thank you." Gon happily said and the man left without saying a word. "Come on. Let's find the Kaijinmaru."

"Hey. Maybe it's that one!" I pointed to the big, red ship. "Let's ask."

We saw a man that was standing outside the ship. Gon went to him. "Umm, excuse me… is this ship--"

"Welcome! Now, now, now come inside." The man said.

"But, umm…"

"Pay after you look." He said and pushed us to the ship.

We got in and we heard somebody. "Okay everyone. Here, rare and unusual animals come from all over the place are collected…"

"Hey! It's a kitsume-guma! Come on."

"Okay."

"Please get away!" The lady looked scared.

I was surprised by the lady. "Why do you look so scared? You look like you're going to be eaten." I said in a calm way. _Sheesh! People these days._

"How pitiful it must be to be stuck in this cage. You must have been the chief of the forest, like Gonta." Gon said. The Kitsume-guma's face changed. It leaned forward and smelled Gon's hand… it licked it too. The people made noises.

"What's the matter? What's this commotion about?" Someone shouted from outside coming this way. It was a fat man_—looks like the owner_. _Ooh! Lookie here!_ The poser's with him and holding a caged kitsume-guma cub.

"This boy here, approached the Kitsume-guma and it got all excited and mad, then it started licking him!" The lady said.

"It's bad to interfere in someone else's business. I won't treat you lightly just because you're a child." The man said, threatening Gon. "Hunter-sama."

"Hunter?" I saw a smile pop out of Gon's face.

"I told you Gon. This man isn't a hunter!" This time, I shouted.

"Rawr!…" The Kitsume-guma stretched its hand out to grab the Hunter Man but, he got away.

"You want to help this Kitsume-guma cub? I don't think so. This is going to get me money for my food. Get them!" I ran as fast as I can and hid until they got out. _Gon where are you? _I searched for him and saw that he was already captured. I'll just try to pick the lock

"The ship is about to leave… How can we get you out of there?" I looked outside and saw the man again.

"Pops! What're you doing here? The ship is going to leave soon."

"I'll make it if I hurry." He showed the keys to Gon. "Oh, where's your little girl friend?"

I laughed. "I'm not his girl friend! I'm his sister!" I said walking to them.

The man stared at me and laughed. "Hahaha. Nice one kid. I've never heard that one before."

"You'll understand." I sweatdropped.

///LATER///

"Sheesh! What're you two doing at a time like this? I'm going to go now!"

Gon and I freed the animals first before going to the ship. "Now GO! Anywhere you want! You're all free!" Gon said.

"Gon! The ship!" We ran outside and saw the fat man and the poser.

"Wait! You two are the ones who did this?" The owner saw us.

"You guys are evil." Gon replied

"Damn. I've underestimated them. Hunter-sama, please beat them up." The owner kinda ordered.

"HE'S NOT A HUNTER! How many times should I tell you? He's not a HUNTER!" I'm getting really irritated with this guy. _He's not a hunter when I almost even beat him in arm wrestling!_

"Why'd you two do this?" The poser said.

"Because you're ugly and you're not a Hunter! Poser!" I said. I'm really in a bad mood right now because of this poser.

"You wanna fight?"

"Wanna _die_?"

"What?" the fake Hunter Man looked really mad. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with a Hunter."

"You're not… a… HUNTER!" I almost punched the man's face but Gon stopped me. "You're not a Hunter! You're very stubborn y'know! Wanna die? Oh, you'll die right here, right no--"

"Stop it Kumi! Let's just go to the ship!"

The man in the suit came and knocked the fake Hunter Man out. "If I wasn't hungry, I could've beaten a jerk like him."

"Pops, I thought you said you were gonna go."

"I'm nice. Also, I wanted to settle things with the imposter."

"Pops--"

"Just as I thought. A real Hunter wouldn't be knocked-out by one punch."

"What a beautiful moment. Unluckily, the ship has sailed." I said.

"Wait! Wait for us! I was going to ride on that ship!" Gon shouted. And the three of us ran after the ship.

"Me too!"

"You're late! The ship isn't going to turn back. You'll have to swim over here!" The owner of the ship said.

"The sails are wide open. You won't make it by swimming. A Hunter's job must seem easy, if a kid like that is trying to become a Hunter." A passenger said from the ship.

"Guys! I have an idea! Follow me!" I ran to the other side of the ship and Gon and the man followed me.

"Gon, do your thing to that big rock over there." Points to the big rock.

"Okay."

Gon threw his rod to the big rock. "Pops, hold on tight!" I and the man held Gon tightly. We swung to the ship and they slid down the sails. Gon and I landed on our feet. The man was behind us and he landed… and crashed.

"You okay, pops?"

"I'm not pops. Call me Leorio-san."

"Phew. Finally! We got in." I looked back at Whale Island and smiled. Bye bye Whale Island. I saw Gon waved at Whale Island... _I'm guessing he's saying goodbye, too. :]_


	3. The Waves, Storm and Duel

//Afternoon//Hakumi's POV

"At the ship at last."I was hanging upside down and fishing on the edge of the ship and Gon was view from here is crazy! I feel like the sky is the ground and the sea is the sky.I jumped back to the floor and saw the people gathered around … men!I went to Leorio, who was lying on the floor watching the guys.

"Hey, Leorio, what's up with them?"I asked.

"I don't know."

"Okay."

"That's enough Gatso!"The captain of the ship shouted. I went there to see what's happening."Get off. Get off this ship."He said to one of the passengers.

"Wh-what did you say?"The guy said and two other people held him."What are you… what are you—Let me GO!"

The man was thrown to the sea? What's happening here?

"As long as you're on my ship, you'll follow MY rules."The captain shouted. Hehehe. Okay. Fine. Sure."Guys that I don't like are going to be thrown off. Keep that in mind."Cool ;]

After he said that, I heard Leorio mumble something,"We're customers you know."

Then, we suddenly heard Gon shout,"I got something."I ran to him and looked at what he caught. It looks like it's hard to catch and he's trying hard. Hey I see something… it's a flying bonto fish.

"You got a big one. Plus a flying bonto fish is hard to catch."The captain said

"Yeah. We know it's rare aroundWhaleIsland, too."Gon said.

"The wind stopped. Now, there's not even a breeze. At this pace, I wonder when we'll get toDoleIsland."Leorio complained. I noticed that the birds are noisy and I think they're warning each other… but why? Gon looked at the sea behind us so I looked too.

"Astormiscoming."Gon and I were surprised because we said the same sentence at the same time :]

"Yeah right. There isn't a single wave."

"The wind is getting moist…"

"… and it's salty."

"The sea cranes are warning each other, too."

"Sea cranes?"Leorio laughed."Do you know what they're saying?"

"Yeah. But not everything."

Leorio laughed again."Are you mocking me?"

"Kid… you got on board fromWhaleIsland, right?"

"Yeah."

"What does your father do?"

"Our father? He's a Hunter."

"We only know him from looking at a picture. We admire him."

"Are you his sister?"

"His twin sister, actually."

"Well you two don't look alike."

I widened my eyes so I look like Gon. People these days… they think that twins_should_look alike.

"So you_are_twins."

I laughed."Gon, next time, you're showing the proof that we're twins."He laughed, too.

"Kid."

"What?"

"How big is the storm and when will we hit it?"The captain asked.

"The sea cranes say it's strong…"

"And it will come in about… 2 hours?"

The captain laughed and said,"I've had this job for a long time. And you two are the second person to get it right."Gon and I looked at each other and asked…

"Second?"

"To get_it_right?"

He didn't answer our question."Men! Lower the sails!"

Many people came out and lowered the sails. And I saw a bucket hit Leorio on the , Leorio's face is hard… the bucket broke into pieces.I also saw a blond haired guy who dodged the pieces,cool :].

"Yeah right. Trying to test me with this?"Leorio said.

I laughed out loud and suddenly stopped. Which made others think I'm crazy.

///LATER///

Big waves arrived."Gon, look."I pointed to the is glowing.I've never seen something like that in my whole looked at it.

"What's that?"

"It's St. Elmo's Fire."

"St. Elmo's Fire?"

"During a thunderstorm or if an electrically charged cloud is above, static accumulates at the high places, like the top of a mast, becomes strong enough to result in a glowing discharge."The quiet guy said, who was sitting all the time and not ... I think I understand… I think. But it's cool.

"You've finally said something. Thanks for the explanation that can be found in an encyclopedia."Leorio stuck his tongue out.

"Among sailors, it is said that one who see St. Elmo's Fire can't return alive."

"That's interesting."

"A big storm is coming."

///LATER///

"And the storm has arrived."Yes the storm has arrived and the ship is rocking. The room is rocking, too. Everyone was sliding and tumbling on the floor except me, Gon, Leorio, and that quiet guy. I was sliding on a table pretending it's a skateboard orsomethin' :D. Fun. Gon was balancing on a rolling barrel. Leorio was sitting while eating an apple. And the other guy is sleeping on the hammock.

The ship stopped rocking and everyone was lying on the floor. Except for the one who is sleeping on the hammock.

The door opened and I saw the captain. He looked around the room and said,"How pathetic! To think these guys are trying to take the Hunter Exam… it makes me laugh."He came into the room and asked,"You're the last four? What are your names?"

"You want to know my name?"Leorio asked.

"That's correct."The captain replied.

"I'm Gon"He said, standing up.

"I'm Hakumi"I said, pointing to myself.

"My name is Kurapica."The guy said and jumped down from the hammock.

"I… I am Leorio."He said not looking at the captain.

"Gon. Hakumi. Kurapica. Leorio. Why do you want to be a Hunter?"The captain … Gon's the one to answerthat.

"Hey, who do you think you are, asking something like that? You're not an interviewer!"He said, getting annoyed.

"Just answer the question."

"Are you listening to me?"

"My dad is a--"

I coughed."Our dad…"

"… he's a Hunter so we'd like to see what it's like."He said.

"Hey, don't answer him. I'm talking to this old man right now."

"C'mon, I'm only telling him the reason."

"I don't want to! I'm never gonna tell!" He shouted. "I never do what I don't want to do unless we have a duel."

"I agree Leorio."

"Hey, how old are you? Put some respect in it when you say my name!"He shouted .. my eardrums are going to break. His voice is really loud.

"It's so easy to lie, to avoid a question you don't want to answer. But, I believe that lying is similar to greed, and it's a shameful act."Kurapica said.

"Call me Leorio-SAN."Leorio is getting mad now.I don't want to be in this room.

"To confess something in front of a person I just met, my reason to become a Hunter… It's too personal to tell. So, I cannot answer you question at this time."

"Call me Leorio-san! LE-O-RI-O-SAN!"

"If you don't answer, get off this ship now."

"What?"Leorio asked.

"You guys still don't understand? The Hunter Exam has already begun… when you got on this ship."He showed something to us. It's in a frame…wait! That's from…

"Th… That's from the Hunter Organization!"

"As you know, there are tons of people who want to become a Hunter. Unfortunately, the inspectors don't have time to examine everyone. So, guys like us are hired to sift through the applicants. The guys who were thrown off or lying around are being reported as unqualified. So, even if they make it to theExamCenter, you'll be kicked out. Whether you guys get to take the Exam or not depends on my judgment."The captain explained."Answer my question carefully."

"Damn it. I guess I'll tell you… The reason I want to become a Hunter--"

"I am a survivor of the Kuruta tribe."

"Hey! I'm trying to talk here!"

"I want to become a Hunter that captures criminals with a price on their heads. Blacklist Hunter."

"Blacklist Hunter… So there are different kinds of Hunters. I didn't know."I whispered to Gon.

"And your reason?"

"Four years ago, my comrades were massacred. The culprit is the killing group, Genei-Ryodan. In order to capture them, I want to become a Hunter."

"All of the Genei-Ryodan members are Class-A criminals. Even a skilled Hunter can't mess with them. You'll die meaninglessly."

"I am not afraid of death. What I am afraid of is that this anger will fade away someday."

"You say a lot of things. If you want revenge, you don't have to become a Hunter to do that."

"That's one of the most '_stupidest_' inquiries. There are places, information, actions, and a lot more that can't be accessed unless you're a Hunter, Leorio."

"I told you to call me Leorio-san!"

"So, What's the reason for, 'Leorio-san'?"

"Me? I don't want to give a made up answer, so I'll be honest. MONEY! I want to become a Hunter to make a lot of money. If I have money, I can get anything—a large house, a good car and even women!"He laughed.

"You can't buy civility, Leorio."

"That's the third time. Step outside. Looks like you filthy Kuruta tribe people don't know any manners."

"Take those words back!... Leorio!"

"It's Leorio-san!..."ohhhh! I see a fight coming!" Come on!"

"I look forward to it!"

くそThe two guys stepped outside to have a duel.I'm not going to watch. I'm staying in this room. I'm really really … uuughh! My day has been really great until now.

"H… Hey you guys! I'm not done talking yet!"The captain yelled at them but they didn't listen to him.

"Let's leave them alone. 'If you want to know him, know what he's angry about'. It's a favorite line that Mito-san taught us. I think the reason they are angry is very important. We shouldn't stop them."

Gon and the captain decided to watch them and I was left in the room. Well I guess I should go there, too. Just in case if something happens to Gon. When I got outside, I saw Gatso climbing up to the main mast and the two were fighting.

"Gatso! Be careful!"The captain shouted to Gatso. Gatso was fixing the main mast…so that's why he climbed up.A Lightning struck to the main mast and Gatso fell down.I gotta save him!

"Gatso!"くそ! He's gonna fall into the ocean!.

I felt something weird in my ..? You're not gonna do it!おうしくそ!The two stopped fighting each other and tried to catch Gatso but they didn't reach him. Gon recklessly jumped off the ship and caught Gatso. Then I , too, recklessly jumped off the ship to catch Gon's feet. Next is Kurapica who also jumped off the ship and caught my feet. And Leorio didn't jump but, caught Kurapica's 're like a rope. :] Whew! That was a close one!

"Sorry for the trouble. And thanks."Gatso thanked us.

Leorio then pulled us up. We were all lying on the tired.

///NEXT MORNING///

The main mast was being repaired. Kurapica was sitting again. Gon was sightseeing. I was covering my eyes. And Leorio was… why I was covering my eyes.

"How can you do something so reckless?"Leorio asked.

How can you only wear you boxers and necktie? Pshhh!

"Yes, it was foolish."Kurapica added.

"You jumped off, too."I muttered and chuckled.

"If we didn't catch you, you would've dropped into the ocean with that guy."Leorio said to Gon.

"It was his nature really."I said.

"But, you guys caught me."Gon said.

"Oh, yeah. What happened to that_duel_?"I grinned.

"Duel?"Leorio wondered."Oh yeah, we were doing something like that."

"I apologize for my wrong-doings back then. I'm sorry, Leorio-san."

"Sheesh, you're acting formal. You can call me Leorio, Kurapica. I apologize, too. I take back all those words I said against your tribe."

"So.. we're fine now?"

"Don't worry Kumi. There won't be any arguments for now."

"Great."We all smiled at each other.

We heard the captain laugh behind us. He walked to us and said,"The four of you pass!"

"What?"The four of us said in unison.

"Really?"Leorio asked.

"Yeah."The captain replied."I'll take you guys to Dole island with full responsibility."

"I'm flattered, but can this old ship get there?"

The captain laughed and said,"Have faith in this ship."


	4. Naughty Hakumi

A/N: Thanks to Lania Tesle, KiGaMi, KiGaMi, KiGaMi, and animeXbooksXmanga for your reviews ^^,. Hehe. Enjoy. And please tell me if I need some improvement in making stories. Sorry _if_ this chapter bores you. Please review :D

* * *

We finally arrived to Dole. Leorio and Kurapika already got off the ship.

"Captain, thanks for everything." Gon thanked the captain as soon as we got off the ship. "It was a fun trip."

"Well said, Gon. You enjoyed that harsh trip." The captain replied, laughing. "Although you've arrived at Dole Island's harbor, there are still more obstacles ahead." He warned.

"Yes, I know." Gon nodded.

"Not another lecture." Leorio joked carrying his briefcase. _What's in that briefcase anyway, His First Aid Kit?_ I laughed quietly at the thought. "We've heard enough on board._"_

"Fine, but I'll tell you this one last thing. It's a 'Special Service'."

"Special Service?" Leorio repeated.

"Look," we all turned back to look at it. The captain pointed to the top of the mountain. "Head for that tall tree. That's pone of the shortcuts to get to the exam center." He put down his hand and put his pipe back into his mouth. "If you understand, then get outta here. The exam has already started." He walked back to the ship.

"Okay. Take care." Gon said to him.

"Yeah, take care all of you!" I shouted to the crew, too.

"You too guys." He said back. I saw Gatso (one of the crews) waved at us.

"Bye everyone!" Gon shouted and we all waved back at them. We turned around and headed our way. We saw people gathering around something. I t was a map on the wall. We went there to see where we should be going.

"Something's wrong." Leorio stated. "The exam center's location, Zaban City, is in the opposite direction of the tall tree."

"You're right." Kurapika agreed.

"We'll probably waste time. It's not a shortcut. We should head directly for Zaban City."

"If you're going to Zaban City, there's an express bus for it." A strange man said coming from behind us. "The bus station is right over there."

I breathed deeply. _Oh Great! And here's another guy who knows the ship to Dole! -_-_ We all turned around and Leorio asked who he is.

"I'm Mashu. I'm a rookie candidate like you guys. It's nice to meet you." He stretched his hand to Gon.

"I'm Gon" and the _little fool_ shook hands with the stranger. _Who knows where his hand came from?_

Mashu stretched his hand out but Kurapika just replied a suspicious stare. Mashu put on his sad face. He didn't put his hand in front of me maybe because he didn't notice me. _Well… I don't mind. Besides, I don't want to meet him._

"Don't worry about it. He's a little weird." Leorio said and put his hand on Mashu's shoulder. "I'm Leorio. By the way Mashu-san, are you going to use the bus too?"

"Unfortunately, I hate riding the bus. Also, I've decided to go to the mountain with the tall tree."

"So you're going the same way I am." I coughed and closed my eyes. Gon looked me and corrected his sentence. "I mean—the same way we're going."

"I'm leaving." I said walking to the direction of the big tree. I waved, my back facing them.

"Oh! Is she included in your little group?" I heard Mashu ask Gon. With my hands behind my head, I looked at the skies ignoring all the people around. Gon and his new friends had a little more chat before following me, leaving Leorio behind. _'till we meet again, Leorio-san_. I waited for them until they caught up. I slowed down and let the others to move in front. Mashu turned to me and asked "Miss, may I know your name?"

I stopped walking and turned to him. "No. You won't need it." I said with a sassy tone. "We won't be together for long anyway." I smiled and left him behind. '_O yeah! Go Kumi!_'

…

After walking about half an hour (I think), Gon was carrying Mashu on his back.

"Does your leg still hurt Mashu-san?" Gon asked.

"Yeah." Mashu replied. "Looks like I sprained my ankle while I was walking on the unfamiliar mountain path. Sorry to cause you trouble Gon."

"Don't worry about it." Gon said and smiled at him.

I rolled my eyes and turned around. "Seriously Mashu_-san _, Gon was asking you if your leg still hurts because he's getting tired. I mean, look at you! You're asking a kid half your weight to carry you."

"It's no problem, Kumi-chan, really." said Gon and kept Mashu on his back. I narrowed my eyes at him and looked at Mashu, whose face expression is unidentified (I don't know if he's shocked or scared or mad or something else…). I pointed my right index and middle finger from my two eyes to his, signaling that I am keeping my eyes on him. And then I turned back to walking by Kurapika's side, my eyes still narrowed.

"I have an idea. Wait a moment Mashu-san." Gon said as he put Mashu down. "There might be some herbs in the forest. I'll go get them." He ran back.

"What are you saying?!" He shouted but Gon didn't hear it. "We shouldn't be wasting our time…"

Kurapika turned to him and said with a slightly-evil smile. "If you're such in a hurry, go by yourself. Later." He turned around and followed Gon leaving the two of us behind.

"Wait, I have a better idea than Gon!" I said sarcastically to Mashu. _Muwahahahaha!!! _I pulled my right foot back and kicked his 'sprained ankle'. I kicked it soft enough to make it _really ache _for a while. "I hope that worked, _Mashu-san_." I said with a jolly smile and I skipped along the way leaving him there alone, his hands around his ankle... ''_Helping' other people is great! So that's why Gon was so kind to that jerk. I should do this more often!'_

(A very nice song came into my head: Happy by Alexia)

I was 5 feet away from Mashu when I saw a rhinoceros. Another awesome idea came into my mind. And by awesome, I mean helping-people-the-way-I-did-to-Mashu idea. I walked to the rhino and it saw me. I tried to calm him down by putting my hand in front of his head and slowly taking a step. "All right there little rhino I'm not gonna hurt you." It moved forward and let me touch him. I began to pet his head. "I'm not gonna hurt you. But that man over there," I pointed to Mashu as we hid behind the bushes. "He wants to take over your territory". '_What a bad liar I am!!! I'm so proud of myself!' _

Mashu was about 3 meters away from us and his back was facing us. He turned to us but he didn't see me because I lowered my head. He panicked when he saw the rhino and ran away from it. I followed him through the bushes. He stopped in front of a big tree and turned around as he pulled out his weapon, the two sticks on his back. "Damn animal! You'll be sorry if you attack me!" _Tsch! Yeah right! You're already shivering your way to your death!_

"Put those away!" Kurapika came from behind him. "You can't use them properly anyways." Then Gon came out from Mashu's right side and walked towards the rhino. "Gon!" Kurapila pulled out two two-feet sword thingies—It was black and wrapped in bandages on the handle and was connected with each other by a string tied to each end. (Sorry _if_ I described it wrong). "It's already enraged. We must kill it."

"Wait, Kurapika. It's just mad because it thinks we're going to take over its territory." Gon explained but Kurapika didn't put his weapons away. The rhino narrowed its eyes as Gon walked closer to it. "Calm down, we won't do anything. We don't intend to take over your territory. So please--"

"Watch out Gon!" Leorio came running from behind Kurapika and jumped over him to attack the rhinoceros. "Take this!"

"No!" I quickly ran over in front of the rhino and blocked Leorio's briefcase from hitting the rhino's head using my left fist. I punched upward against the briefcase and it didn't hurt… TT_TT I wished… I wished it didn't hurt. I was moved back by the force but I remained standing with my fist still raised and looking down with my eyes closed. "You owe me one little buddy…" I said to the rhino. I knew he got mad at Leorio for the attempt to smack him (and for hurting me) with his briefcase because it walked to my left side and growled at Leorio. I fell down on my knees and Leorio started running back.

"Don't follow me!" Leorio was running all over the place but still, the rhino is chasing him. I saw Kurapika and Gon's faces were both confused… very confused.

"Why did he come here?" Kurapika asked.

…

"The bus was a trap?" Gon asked looking up at a tree branch—where Leorio was standing on.

"Yeah. It was terrible." Leorio said as he scratches his head.

"So you shamelessly came back to follow Gon, Leorio?" Kurapika teased.

"It's not like that. I thought you guys would be lonely without me. They say, 'Go with companions on journeys'…" He laughed. "…so, PLEASE Gon! Get rid of that rhino!" He begged.

"I could get rid of the rhino but, it's not up to me. She's the one who has been hit by your briefcase." Gon pointed at me "Plus, she's _better_ with animals." Gon apologized to Leorio. All of them looked at me—who was now lying on the grass the same place where I was when I punched the damn briefcase.

"Thanks for another compliment Gon." I said. I got up and brushed the dirt off me without using my left arm.

"Hey, that's not a compliment." Gon said.

I laughed. "Just kidding." I turned to Leorio and said, "I won't _get rid of him._ But I will tell him to _stop chasing you_."

…

"When are we going to stop wasting our time here?" Mashu complained after I finished talking with my rhino buddy. "Someone else might have gotten ahead of us by now."

An anime vein pops on my forehead. "This isn't a race, IDIOT." I muttered. I could have said it louder but Gon is here.

"If you had just followed what I said, we wouldn't have gotten into that dangerous situation."

"But it tuned out alright. We've met up with Leorio again," he said and looked at Mashu's leg. "And it seems that Mashu-san's leg got better."

"Aren't YOU glad, Mashu-san?" Kurapika's slightly-evil smile was used again.

"But wait." I said. "We're not _sure_ if Mashu-san's leg got better. Maybe he's just forcing his leg to stand up. Look at it," I pointed to his leg. "It's shaking. That's why I didn't want to _get rid_ of the rhino because he can carry Mashu_-san _on the way." I said as I petted the rhino's head.

"Good idea, Kumi." And another slightly-evil smile of Kurapika appeared.

"Why, thank you! I've always wanted to help." _Muwahahahaha!!! _:]_ Yeah right! _"Come on, Mashu_-san_, get on the rhino's back."

"Uhh.. No thanks. I'm very sure my leg got better now." I can hear Mashu's voice was shaking a bit.

"Hmm... Well, okay then. I'll just keep him just in case."

"Let's get going then." Leorio said.

After minutes of walking, I was behind Mashu. Another 'awesome' idea popped in my mind. I used my knee to kick the back of his knee and he fell down on his knees—which looked like his leg didn't really get better.

"Mashu-san, are you sure you're leg is better now?" Gon asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I just felt _something_ on the back of my knee." He replied to Gon. _He knew it was me alright but why didn't he say that I was the one who kicked him? Heh! He must have been scared of me_ :] Gon looked at me with a Hakumi-must-have-kicked-Mashu-san's-knee-because-she-was-behind-him look. I just pretended that I thought his kind of look was Mashu-should-ride-the-rhino look and nodded a bit.

"Mashu_-san, _why don't you ride the rhino?" I said to him.

"No, really, but my leg is better now."

"Mashu-san, you _should_ ride the rhinoceros." Kurapika insisted.

"Plus, it will slow us down if you keep tripping like that." I put on my irritating-smile-that-really-bugs-other-people.

"Please, Mashu-san." Gon said.

He was now on the rhino's back. The rhinoceros looked at me and I nodded at him. The next second, he was running wild with Mashu holding on to its neck who was trying not to fall. Gon ran after the rhino trying to calm it down and Leorio climbed up a tree branch just in case if the rhino chases him. Meanwhile, Kurapika and I was behind the bushes LOLing our heads out.

…

"'Till we meet again little buddy!" I shouted as the rhinoceros has gone out of sight.

Gon turned to me and said, "I knew it." _What? What do you know? Have you found out I was the one who made the rhino come after Mashu?_ "I knew that you were better in animals than me."

"Oh? Ehehe." I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "Y-you didn't need to… hehe… to say it." :D _Phew! Close one?_ "Well, let's get on our way then!... Again." I added.

We turned around and noticed that we were already in the edge of the forest. In front of us was a city… an abandoned city. There were cracked buildings, rags hanging on cables, but no people were seen—they were only heard.

Leorio walked through the passage looking around. "This sure is a creepy place. I can't even see one person."

"But there ARE a lot of people." Gon was also looking around.

"Yeah. Don't let your guard down." Kurapika agreed.

"How do you guys know?" Leorio asked.

"You can hear them breathing all over the place."

"I also hear rags being dragged around." Gon added. "I wonder if they're hiding."

Leorio put his hand behind his ear and leaned on different directions. "Unfortunately, I'm a normal human being."

"Or you just didn't clean your ears." I said slowly opening and closing my hand to exercise it a bit.

Gon suddenly ran and stopped in front of one of the alleyways on the right. "Grandma, I found you!" He pointed at her. Kurapika and Leorio also went there to see her.

""H-Hey." Mashu was staring at the main passageway. People were coming out from the other alleyways. They were all in white and they were wearing strange looking gas masks.

""What's with these guys?" Leorio took a step backward. All of them were saying 'Doki-doki' "Hey Mashu!" He said as he turned to him. "Are you sure this is the right way?" He asked with an irritated voice.

"Yeah. I'm very sure." He replied looking at the people blocking the way. "But, if you want to go another way, I won't stop you."

"Then I guess I'll go another way." Leorio said as he turned around. "I'm sick of these stupid traps. The bus was enough for me."

"Wait Leorio. As Mashu says, this is the right way." Kurapika said before Leorio could take a step.

"What?!" Leorio turned around.

"The other paths had signs of dangerous animals and beasts so we avoided those dangerous paths, went straight for the tall tree, and ended up here." Gon explained.

"Then, who are these guys? Isn't this another trap?" He said as he pointed at them.

"You guys…" The old lady called, "…if you're heading for the tall tree, you'll never get to it unless you go through this city. The other pathways are like mazes. Plus, ferocious animals and beasts await you." She looked at Gon. "The boy there is correct."

"Look." Gon pointed at the staff the old lady was holding. "It's the same mark the captain had."

"I see. This old lady… so, this is another test for the Hunter exam." Kurapika said.

"This old lady is an examiner too?" Leorio asked. They started to repeat 'Doki-doki' again and again. I can see Leorio's eyes twitching because of irritation.

"THE HEART POUNDING 2-CHOICE QUIZ!" The old lady shouted. And all of our faces were like 'O.o?!' "I'll now give you one question. You have 5 seconds to think about it. If you get it wrong, you're disqualified. If so, then you'd better give up becoming a Hunter." She explained. "Answer with either a 1 or 2. Any other answers will be wrong."

"Hey, wait a second. You're giving one question to all four of us?"

"It's easier that way. If he gets it wrong, that means I'll be disqualified too!" He pointed at Kurapika then to himself.

"That's not possible." Kurapika raised his eyebrows to Leorio. "It makes me want to cry, since the possibility of the other case is much higher."

"But, that means only one of us has to get the correct answer, it's easy." Gon said. "Plus, I'm not good with quizzes" He laughed.

"Sorry. I'll go first. Okay old lady?" Mashu stepped forward with an irritating smile._ I knew it, I knew it!_

"I see that you must have a lot of confidence." The old lady smirked. "I don't mind."

"Then it's settled." He looked over his shoulder. "I wouldn't want to be disqualified because of these guys."

"HA!" I pointed at him with my right hand. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!"

"I had no intention to become friends with you guys. The girl knew all along that I was just using you to get here safely. I'm good at using my head. I have no use for you guys anymore."

"Told 'ya you wouldn't need my name." I put my hand to my hip. "Now, can I use your head to smash this wall here?"

"Leave him alone." Kurapika said. "If we know the first question, we can use it as an example."

"Hurry up, old lady." Mashu told her.

"Here's the question: Your mother and lover are being held captive by crooks, and you can only help one of them. Which will you help: One, your mother; Two, your lover?" _What?! She's kidding right? There's no right answer to this._ Mashu rubbed his chin, smiling. "Answer within 5 seconds. 5… 4…"

"One!" He shouted. _Very confident much? I bet I'm not gonna see you at the exam center._

"And why do you think so?" The old lady asked.

"Because, there is only one mother in this world." _Wrong!_ I wanted to shout the thought. _That is soooo verry wrong!!! There are many mothers here in this world! There are biological mothers, mothers-in-law, grand mothers, step-mothers, and some others! _"I can just find another lover." He explained.

The old lady and the masked people formed a circle and discussed if he's wrong or right. As soon as they were finished, they made way for Mashu. "Go through."

He laughed and walked through. He turned around and said, "I'll see you guys later."

Now that Gon knows he's a bad ugly man, "Oh, I do hope so." I smirked. "I'd be happy to beat up that ugly face of yours." He narrowed his eyes and ran through the passageway. "That's right, run away you coward!" The people blocked the way again.

"Stop playing with us! There's no such quiz!" Leorio shouted at the old lady with clenched fists. "Even if we help the lover, can you justify that it's not the wrong thing, old lady? There's no correct answer to this kind of question. Or do you want us to answer according to your point of view?" He turned around. "I'm going back! I'll go through another route."

"Too late!" The old lady said, "If you forfeit the quiz, you'll be disqualified." Leorio stopped. "You don't have what it takes to become a Hunter." Just after the old lady said that, I heard something from the forest ahead.

"Leorio!" Kurapika called.

"What?! You want me to continue with this stupid quiz?"

"This quiz is--"

"Wait!" The old lady shouted, cutting Kurapika off. "I won't allow any more chatting." She smirked. "If you say anything else, I will disqualify you. Now, answer: One, to take the quiz; Two, don't take it."

"One!" Kurapika shouted as soon as she finished. He and Leorio exchanged angry looks.

"Okay. Here's the question: Your son and daughter have been kidnapped." She said. "You can only take one back. Which one will you take back: One, your daughter; Two, your son?" Leorio was gritting his teeth while she said that. As she counted, Leorio put down his briefcase and picked up a wooden stick. "Time's up."

Leorio went in front of the old lady and raised the stick. "Eat this!"

She just smiled, "Is that your answer?"

"Leorio!" Kurapika called again.

Leorio lowered the stick. "Quit having fun and giving these stupid questions with no answers. 'You can't become a Hunter if you can't answer'? Fine!"

"Calm down, Leorio."

"Shut up! I'll beat up this old hag and bring her to the exam center. And, I'm gonna beat up all the arrogant examiners and give 'em a piece of me!" I got tired of standing so I leaned on a wall and waited for Leorio to finish his speech. "What does THIS have to do with becoming a Hunter? This is required to become a Hunter? Don't make me laugh!"

"We passed. Are you trying to ruin it?"

"What?" He calmed down a bit and turned to Kurapika.

"We passed the test, Leorio. Silence… it was the correct answer."

"Silence?" Leorio repeated.

"As you said before, there can't be a right answer. So, there is no correct answer." Kurapika explained. "But since you can only answer with 'one' or 'two', that means silence is the only answer."

"But Mashu seemed to get it right." He pointed at the forest ahead.

"They didn't say it was correct. They only said, 'go through'. I heard him scream a moment ago. He was probably attacked by an animal. He tried to outsmart us, but he ended up digging his own grave. That means this path isn't the right one."

"Correct." The old lady said and two of the masked people went to the right and opened another passageway. It was very dark inside but there was a light at the end. It was a small light so that means the way is pretty long. "The real path is this way. It's a straight path. You should get to the top of the mountain if you walk for two hours."

"Silence is the correct answer?"

"If you still don't understand, then take this old lady anywhere you want." She bowed her head.

Leorio let go of the stick. "Old lady, I'm sorry."

She smiled in reply and said, "There's no need to apologize. I do this job because I want to meet guys like you. Do your best to become a good Hunter." Leorio nodded. "Go. A married couple living in the house under the tall tree are Navigators. If they think you are qualified, they should take you to the exam center." We went inside and started to walk.

"I'm really happy now that Mashu is gone and my hand got a little better now."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

"No. Don't be. :D" I smiled and scratched the back of my head. "It was my fault anyway that you almost tried to hit the rhino."

"Your fault? How could that be?"

"Well, I guess it's time I admit it." I sighed. "From the very first moment, I already knew Mashu was gonna use us…" There I go blah blah blah… telling them the story as we walked through the path.

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A/N: Thanks for reading I hope I can make the next chapter sooner. Please review.


	5. The Kiriko Beasts

A/N: Hey guys :] arigatougozaimasu! That's for reviewing the previous chapter. Actually, I finished writing this yesterday night and I thought the chapter was lame so I decided not to publish it yet. Gomenasai for making this chapter lame. My excuse: There was no one for Hakumi to make fun of. But I added something and I somehow made Hakumi fight and pa--. Sorry. You'll just have to read.

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"Hey, Kurapika. The old lady mentioned a Navigator. What is that?" Gon asked.

"Hunter exam center changes location every year. It comes up with the exact location and guides people with the potential and desire to become a Hunter. That's what a Navigator is." Kurapika explained. "Going to the exam center without their help is said to be very difficult. In order for us to get to the exam center, we must find the Navigator and prove that we have the potential."

"Sounds like a lot of things to do." Gon commented.

"I hope it won't be super hard." I said.

"When are we going to reach the exit?" Leorio asked as he put his briefcase down and sat beside it. "The old lady said we should reach it in two hours. That two hours passed by two hours ago. I'm hungry. I want to go to the bathroom." Gon and Kurapika sighed.

"Stop whining! We're gonna leave you behind." I yelled at him.

"Let's rest for a while." Leorio said.

"But the exit is right over there!" Gon pointed.

"What? You should've said that in the first place!" He took his briefcase and ran towards the exit. He stopped. "After going through the tunnel, there's a lake? Does that mean we have to swim?" _I can't believe it's almost dark. How many hours did we walk in the tunnel?_

"No need to wet our clothes." I said as Gon and I ran to the right.

"There's a boat over here!" All of us got in. Gon and Kurapika rowed the boat.

"Oh man, this thing is leaking!" Leorio complained.

"It's not a big deal. Plug the hole until we reach the other side." Kurapika said.

"Don't tell me this is part of the Hunter exam." He complained. He stopped when he saw something floating on the water. "That sign says 'Beware of Beasts'."

"Beasts?" Gon replied.

…

Minutes had passed and Gon and Kurapika were still rowing the boat. Leorio and I plugged the holes.

"Hey, I've been thinking for a while now. How can we get approved by Navigators? I don't know how."

"Maybe--"

"It has to do with appearance." Leorio cut Kurapika off and laughed. "If so, then Gon, you won't be approved. Kurapika will probably be disqualified, because of his height and Kumi, because she's a girl. That means--"

"That means you'll be disqualified, too, because of your face." I laughed as I pointed at him. Gon and Kurapika laughed, too. "You shouldn't have said that it was based on appearance." Leorio's eyes narrowed and an anime vein popped onto his forehead.

"Is that true?" Gon asked Kurapika.

"No. It might not be based solely on your strength. Another factor will probably be needed… like knowledge or intelligence." He turned to Gon and I. "You two should emphasize something you are good at."

"Something we're good at?" we both said as we pointed to ourselves.

"You might not realize it, but you are good at many things. At least more than Leorio."

"In my case, I have guts." Leorio said. "I'll be fine with any monster that appears." While Leorio was saying that, I heard something was coming out from the water behind us. Gon and Kurapika were looking at it and it was huge because they were looking above our heads. "Huh?"

"Behind you." Kurapika warned.

"Behind me?" Leorio asked as he pointed at himself. Gon pointed at the thing behind us and Leorio and I looked back.

"Whoa! Cool!" I shouted. It was like a big snake or a serpent! I slowly reached for it. It opened its mouth and roared. I jumped on its head and hugged it.

So scared, Leorio grabbed the paddles and began to row the boat super fast! "Kumi, no!" Gon said as Leorio paddled them away.

"Don't worry about me!" I shouted to them while wrestling with the serpent. They got out of sight and dove in the water taking me with him. It swam very fast in the water but I held on tight to it. At last we went above the water. The serpent tried to shake me off of him but I didn't give up. "Calm down! Calm down!" I shouted. "I'm not gonna hurt you!" It calmed down a bit. "I was just only protecting my friends because I thought you were gonna hurt them but I have no intention on hurting you." I rubbed his head. "I'm gonna get off and swim away now." I said and when I was just about to get down from him to the water, he stopped me. He kinda like told me to stay on his back and I nodded. He started to swim to the direction we were headed.

…

When we got to the shore, I found the others walking by the shore. I turned around and said. "Thanks. I hope to see you again." I smiled at it then it turned around and swam away.

"Hey," Leorio called. "There's Kumi." I stood on the shore and twisted my knee-long hair to take off the water from it. I also took off all my wet things (jacket; arm warmers; leg warmers; backpack; and the things inside my backpack) and threw them to the sand except for my t-shirt and shorts.

"Hey Kumi!" Gon waved as he and the others ran towards me. "How did it go with the serpent?"

"Oh… it was fine but he's not what I'm looking for." I replied.

"What you're looking for?" Leorio asked.

"Oh, yeah. I decided to search for a pet."

"A pet? What for?"

"I don't know. I just thought maybe it'll be useful to have a pet that can save us if needed." I sighed. "But all creatures that I can find are big—probably because they're easier to see." I frowned.

"Hey, what's that?" Gon pointed to my arm warmers.

"My arm warmer." I replied plainly.

"No, not that. I meant the shiny thing under your arm warmer."

I quickly grabbed both arm warmers and hid them behind my back. "Oh, nothing." I said as I scratched the back of my head.

"What is it?" He tried to grab it as I held it away from him.

"Okay, okay!" I pulled the shiny thing inside it. "These are my twin sai. Please don't tell but I hid it from Mito-san. This is what I bought from my savings last year. I thought these would be useful if we're going to take the Hunter exam."

"Well, do you know how to use them?"

"Tch! Like yeah! Wanna see? No. Maybe later."

…

After I finished drying up and showing them what I learned with my master Tsukiko (a nice stranger I met in the forest), I prepared all my things and we took off._ A full moon. _My eyes were locked on the full moon while walking. That's why I tripped over one of the rocks and fell on my face.

"Are you okay?" Kurapika asked as he and Gon helped me up.

I brushed the dirt off of me. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. :D" I scratch the back of my head and we headed off again.

"I guess you're looking at the moon again." Gon said to me and I nodded. "She can't take her eyes off of the moon once she caught a glimpse of it… except if someone or something snaps her out of it." He explained to the others.

…

We walked and walked…

"Hey look. It's another 'Beware of Beasts' sign." He said pointing to it. "Hey twins! Are you sure we're not walking in a place with beasts?"

"We're sure." I replied.

"We haven't seen any signs of beasts coming through here." Gon added.

"Then why are the signs warning us about beasts?" Leorio asked.

"It's impressive that you can see in this darkness." Kurapika complimented.

"We lived on Whale Island," Gon said.

"Oh yeah! It was pitch black at night." I added.

Gon nodded. "But the atmosphere is different from this forest." He stopped. "I see it! There's the tall tree." We went to the house under it. Leorio knocked on the door but no one answered.

"It's odd that no one is around. The old lady said a married couple lives here." Kurapika said.

"Yeah, and there aren't any other candidates here." He agreed and laughed. "We're the first ones here."

"Darn it." Kurapika said.

"I'm going in." Leorio said before he opened the door. _What the--?_ A beast was inside. It was huge and red. It had long thin ears and narrow eyes.

"What is that thing?" I yelled. It was holding a tattooed woman in his right arm. Behind them is an injured man. Leorio and Kurapika charged at it. It jumped to our way and knocked all four of us. Gon and I landed on our feet and came after it.

"Leorio! Take care of the injured man." Kurapika ordered him as he ran after us. We lost sight of it after we got into the forest.

"Where did it go?" Kurapika asked.

"I found it!" Gon ran and I followed. We heard Kurapika ask 'What?' before we jumped from one tree branch to another. I caught up easily with the monster and Gon followed. "Give that person back!" Gon shouted to the monster.

He laughed "Then take her back by force!"

"Wow! He spoke!" Gon said to Kurapika.

"It's called a beast because it's an animal that can speak the human language." Kurapika explained. "He's a Kiriko, a beast that can change forms. It can change into a human, too. Don't let you guard down." He warned.

"If he knows what I'm saying, this shouldn't take long." He sped up and jumped. "Hey, stupid Kiriko!" He pulled his rod and smacked the Kiriko's head with it. The Kiriko let go of the woman and landed on a tree branch. Kurapika caught her with his right hand and hung on a tree branch with his left. The Kiriko took off "Hey! Wait!" Gon followed him.

"Be careful Kurapika." I said to him and followed the others. There was no sign of Gon but I saw the beast in the small clearing on my right side. I walked near it and hid behind the bushes. I climbed on one of the trees and jumped onto its back. It pulled me up and tried to smack me down to the ground. _Ow! That hurt!_ I kicked its foot and I stood up as it fell down to its knees. It got up and turned to me. It laughed as it made its claws longer and charged at me. I pulled my twin sai out of my arm warmers and began to block its fast attacks. It was making me move backwards until it knocked me down and sent my weapons off of me. I quickly stood up and tried to punch its stomach as fast as I can several times but it kept blocking my attacks with its arm. I stepped backwards and when it got near me, we heard a laugh.

"Hey! Dear! Come out! You'll see something you don't see often." Someone said._ I gotta check that out… after I finish this—What?_ It vanished. I picked my twin sai up. I ran to where the sound came from and saw Gon and two Kiriko beasts in front of him.

…

"How long has it been since someone could tell us apart?" The first Kiriko asked.

"I'm so happy." The second Kiriko said.

"Can you tell the difference in their faces or voices?" Leorio asked Kurapika.

"No, not at all." He replied.

"Also, the one that Kurapika and I hit is the husband, and the one Kumi fought with is the wife." Gon explained.

"So which one is which?" Leorio asked Gon

"They predicted when a storm would arrive, now, they can tell the beasts apart." Kurapika said. "It's a special skill."

"Now, as you guys have suspected, we are the Navigators." The Kirikos explained.

"I'm the daughter." The woman with tattoos said as she came out from behind the Kiriko on the right.

"I'm the son." The injured man earlier said as he came out from behind the Kiriko on the left. The man and woman had now ears or antennae like the two Kirikos.

"MY son and daughter were acting as married couple at the house." One of the Kirikos explained.

"As Mr. Kurapika said, this tattoo is a vow to be wedded to God." The woman said. "It's impossible to know, if you have no knowledge of ancient history. Having the knowledge and not missing the hint… your observational skills, that determined that we weren't married, is worthy of admiration." She explained and all of them bowed to Kurapika.

"As for Mr. Leorio, although you didn't realize the injuries were fake, your emergency treatments were excellent. But above that, you kept giving me strong, encouraging words when I was acting like I was worried about my wife. I was moved by you kindness." The man said as Leorio scratches the back of his head because of embarrassment. "Also, your excellent observation discovered my true form from this tiny needle wound." The man said as he pulled his sleeve upward. "It's praiseworthy."

"Mr. Gon, your kind shows up once in ten years, the kind who can distinguish us apart, the kind who has super human abilities."

"If I knew about this, I would've hit you more lightly." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry."

"And for Ms. Hakumi, you are very fast and stealthy. With your age, you are stronger than an average human girl." The Kiriko which I fought said. A smile came to my face and I felt my cheeks warm up a bit. "You are also one of the kind who can tell that we're different."

"All four of you pass." When we heard the two Kiriko beasts said that, smiles came across our faces. Leorio and Kurapika bumped their fists and Gon and I slapped each others hands. The man and woman transformed to their beast forms. They opened their arms and began to flap them making the fallen leaves fly off the ground. "We shall now guide you to the Hunter exam center." Each of them flew above us and picked us up with their feet.

"I'm afraid of heights." Leorio shouted nervously. "Don't drop me!"

"Wasn't courage one of your traits?" Kurapika teased.

"Yeah! And you call yourself a man!" I laughed evilly as we flew in the night sky where the full moon glowed above us.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you know that the next chapter is where Killua appears :]. But please don't expect the next chapter to be great.


	6. First Exam

A/N: Hey, sorry for publishing this later than usual. I just can't think of something to make the episode interesting. :S

Sooo… Anyways, thanks for everyone who added me to their alerts/favs and everyone who added this story to their alerts/favs. :] Please review and don't hesitate to give bad comments. Haha. :] XD Enjoy Please. And Review.

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//Morning//Hakumi's POV

We were walking in Subashi City. The birds fluttered above the buildings and people walked happily in the streets.

"2-5-10 of Subashi City is…" The human Kiriko said as he looked at the paper he's holding. "There it is. That building is the Exam Center." He pointed to the building. It was big! It was the largest building in the city. We stood in front of its two huge doors.

"Wow! It's huge!" Gon said. I'm very sure he was amazed too.

"The Main Exam Center indeed." Leorio stated. "It's gorgeous from the entrance."

"Here, from around the world…" Leorio said.

"…fearless Hunter candidates gather." Kurapika continued.

"Awesome!" I said as we all looked at the whole building. "I better put on my disguise right now."

They all looked at me like this: -_-'. "Oh yeah. The disguise."

**~flashback~**

"Hey Gon, Leorio-san, Kurapika-san, please call me 'Haku' when we get to the exam center." I said to them while we flew in the night sky with the Kiriko beasts.

"Why would you want to be called that? Sounds like a boy's name." Leorio said.

"Exactly." They looked confused when I said that. "I wanna disguise as a boy because I don't want anybody staring, pointing, or talking about me and saying, 'Hey, look! A _girl_! It looks like she's the only one here.' Or something like that. You know I don't wanna be called… _that_."

"Why don't you want to be called a girl?" Kurapika asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just… I feel so… you know… _girly_." I said a bit shy. "So please… If you don't, I'll blackmail you."

"Oh, please! You? Blackmail? Me?" Leorio said and laughed.

"Try me." I smiled evilly (narrowed eyes with a smirk)

"Trust me Leorio-san. You DO NOT WANT to disagree with her." Gon said to Leorio with a worried look.

Leorio's eyes widened. He gulped and looked away slowly after hearing Gon's warning.

**~end flashback~**

"Hey!" The Kiriko called. "That's not it." He turned to the left and said, "The entrance is next door." He pointed to a small restaurant. Our faces were like 'O,e?' He slid the door open as we followed him there.

A waitress cleaning the table and the cooking chef greeted us a nice "Welcome!" as we heard the food sizzling while being cooked.

"Smells good!" I said as I twist my hair and hid it in my cap. I looked more like a boy now! ^^,

"Hey, hey. Is this a joke, Mr. Navigator?" Leorio asked. "This can't be the place!"

"Mister!" The kiriko called the chef. "Steak combo."

"Steak combo?" I whispered to Gon. "Oh, so we're gonna eat first?"

The chef smirked and asked Kiriko-san, "How do you want it cooked?"

"Maybe. But, if we're gonna eat, who's paying?" Gon whispered back to me.

"Carefully cooked under a weak flame." The kiriko, who was also smirking as he pointed his index finger upward, replied to the chef.

"I guess it's Kiriko-san's treat." I whispered and asked Gon, "Hey, do I look like a boy now?" Gon nodded in reply.

"Ok. Go to the back." The chef said.

The waitress escorted us to the door at the back. "This way please." We went inside and saw an empty old room.

"This is the Hunter Exam." The kiriko said as he stood outside the door. "Something unexpected will happen to the applicants. It is said that there are a few million applicants. One out of ten thousand. It is the probability of getting to the Main Exam." He explained. "You guys are pretty good for rookies. If it's you guys, I'll guide you again next year." He said. "Take this." He tossed us each something. It was a circle with numbers on it. Kurapika's number is 404, Leorio is 403, Gon is 405, and I am 406. _Yay! Six!_ "Good luck, rookies." He waved and turned around.

"Kiriko-san." Gon called and the kiriko turned around. "Thank you." Gon offered his hand for a handshake.

The kiriko smiled. "You're welcome" He took Gon's hand and shook it. "Let's meet again." He said as he closed the door. A few seconds later, the room quaked a bit and the floor started to go down slowly… like an elevator.

"Cool… Secret passwords and room elevators? Super cool!" I said.

"But wasn't the way he said it rude?" Leorio asked "like we're not going to pass this year."

"One person in three years." Kurapika suddenly spoke. "Seems to be the probability that a rookie will pass. Out of those rookies, because of the test's harshness, there seems to be a lot who retire. Then they become incapable of ever taking the test again."

"But why does everyone want to go…" Gon said.

"…through all that trouble to become a Hunter?" I continued. Kurapika and Leorio leaned their faces near us with something like an angry expression.

"You really knew nothing and you came to take the test?"

"Y-yeah, we don't know. :D" Gon and I said nervously. I took a step backwards.

"Listen, being a Hunter is…" Kurapika started.

"…the most profitable job." Leorio continued.

"…the most honorable job."

"Again with your goody-goody stuff?"

"Money grubbing greedy bastard!" Bolts of lightning from their eyes battled.

"You two! Listen carefully." Leorio shouted. "There's a license card that only an official Hunter can get. If you can get this, you can go to any country freely and you can use most facilities for free. One who looks for treasure, a Treasure Hunter, or one who gets millionaire patrons, a Contract Hunter. If you can become one of those, the cash will roll in!" He explained. "You'll be able to live in comfort for the rest of you life."

"He is wrong, Kumi, Gon. A Hunter's job is to keep order between nature and people. Like Ruins Hunter and Phantom Beast Hunter. Protecting rare cultural legacies and animals and capturing wanted criminals are a Hunter's job too." Kurapika explained. "A healthy mind and a strong will are required."

"How about it?" Leorio asked.

"Which kind of Hunter are you going to become?" Kurapika continued.

"Well, I really don't know." Gon and I synchronized. After that, we felt the room quake again and the door behind Leorio and Kurapika slid open. We got out of the room and I could feel the weight of everybody's glares. Lots of people were trying out to be a Hunter. I felt a bit happy when I heard Leorio gulped.

"There are lots of people." Gon looked around.

"That's because you're the 405th person." A strange man shouted from behind us. We turned to him. "Yo, I'm Tonpa. I'm number 16 this year." He was chubby a little shorter than Kurapika. My eyes narrowed by itself. I shook my head. _What just happened? I'm not tired yet, am I?_

"This year?" Kurapika repeated.

"Nice to meet you." He shook Gon's hand.

"I'm Gon. These are…"

"…Kurapika…" Tonpa turned to Kurapika as Gon said his name and shook his hand. "…Leorio…" He turned to Leorio who just waved at him and Tonpa sort of laughed nervously. "…and Ku—I mean Haku…" He turned to me and shook my hand as Gon said my name.

"You must be rookies." Tonpa said.

"You know?" Gon asked.

"Yep." He replied. "Because I've taken the exam 35 times."

"35 times?" Gon and I repeated.

"Well… I'm just a veteran of the exam." He crossed his arms. "If you don't understand something, I'll explain it to you." He said and Gon thanked him.

"Thir-thirty-five times?" Leorio stuttered with a surprised expression. "Impressive."

"Are you the rumored Tonpa-san?" A chubby boy with beady eyes said from behind Leorio and Kurapika. He's number 187.

"You are?" Tonpa said.

"I don't think you'd know. I'm a rookie." He said. "Number 187. I'm Nicole." He introduced pointing at himself.

"Hello." Gon stepped forward. "I'm Gon." _Why am I not surprised? Gon was really serious about making friends with everyone._

Nicole typed in his laptop. "Ohhh, it's this Tonpa-san. 35 times is the second most in history. You made it to the Main Exam in 30 times in first place. It's remarkable." The five of us stared at him blankly.

Tonpa chuckled. "I've only taken the exams, and have never passed." He bragged. "I'm an all-time failure."

"All-time failure…" Nicole closed his eyes, smirking. "I guess the phrase fits a person like you." He closed his laptop and clutched it in his arm. "Excuse me." He said and walked away.

"What an irritating kid." Leorio commented.

Tonpa laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess he got me. But what he said is true." He said and turned around. "It seems that this year, a lot of unique people have gathered." Look over there. He pointed behind him. There were a lot of guys having conversations. _What? And I thought Gon and I were gonna be the only center of attraction here. Turns out, there are more kids who can pass the Hunter Exam than grown-ups._ He looked right at us. I suddenly felt my face change from grumpy to curious. Then, a scream came from our left.

"H-h-h-h-Help me!" the man sreamed.

"Let's be careful. Apologize if you bump into someone." A tall guy said. He had blue hair and he dressed like a joker.

"Sh*t. The dangerous guy came again this year." Tonpa said. "Number 44. The Magician, Hisoka." He continued, "He could've passed last year's exam, but he got disqualified for nearly killing an Examiner he didn't like. Besides that, there seems to be about 20 candidates who he disabled for life. Don't go near him." He warned.

"A guy like that can take the test again?" Leorio asked.

Tonpa looked at Leorio. "Yeah. The Examiner for the Hunter Exam changes every year. And the Examiner picks the test subject. If that Examiner says, 'you pass', even the devil can pass." He explained. "THAT is the Hunter Exam." Right after he said that, a noise caught everyone's attention. It was a bell.

A man came down. He was pulling the tongue of what looked like a toy to make it ring. He stopped and announced, "Reception time is over." He landed. "Now, we'll begin the Hunter Exam."

"There he is. It's finally the Main Exam." Gon said excitedly.

"I see you've already put on your fighting face." I smiked. "I guess I'll put on mine, too."

"I'm getting nervous." Leorio said as he fixed his necktie.

"This way please." He began to walk through the people in front. "Okay. Just for clarification. The Hunter Exam is very harsh. If you're unlucky or if you're lacking ability, you'll get injured or die. Only those who don't mind, please follow me." We all followed him except for one person. "I understand. There are 405 people in the 1st Exam." He said.

///LATER///

"It's pretty obvious that no one's leaving." Leorio said as he looked left and right at the crowds around us. "I was hoping someone would." _Hey wait a second here! Is it just me, or are we walking faster?_

"This is…" Gon said.

"You realized?" Tonpa asked.

"The pace is picking up." Kurapika said. The Examiner without any mouth was now a two meters away from the people in front.

"So this year, it's like this." Tonpa said with a smile. "Looks like the Exam is about to begin."

"It's a late introduction, but I am Satotsu, The person in charge of the First Exam." The examiner said. We were now jogging along the path but the Examiner looked like he was just walking. "I will now lead everyone to the 2nd Exam Center." Most of the people huh?-ed. "Some of you have already realized that you have to follow me to the 2nd Exam Center. This is the 1st Exam."

///30 MINUTES LATER///

30 minutes had passed since the exam had started. Now, we're running. Some others are exhausted and breathing deeply as they ran. _Phew! Good thing I'm used to running._ Gon and I used to play tag with the other animals.

"How long have we been running?" Gon asked.

"About 30 minutes." Tonpa replied.

"This is a weird test." Gon said.

"No, it's a good test for testing stamina. And--"

"Yeah, you realized that, too?" Tonpa cut Kurapika off.

"Realized what?" Gon and I synchronized.

"How much more to run or how long we have to run in total. We have to keep running without knowing. That's the big psychological downside." Tonpa explained. "Along with stamina, your mental strength is also being tested."

"I'm looking forward to it." Leorio clenched his fist and put on his fighting face. "I'll follow you anywhere."

"Hey, Tonpa-san. If you've participated 35 times, you must know a lot of people here." Gon said.

"I sure do." He replied.

"Tell me!" Gon shouted. "Everyone must be great."

"You really want to meet all the people here huh?" I asked Gon and he nodded with a smile. _Well, I guess I could meet some new 'friends' here._

"OK, I'll introduce some of them." Tonpa said. "First, number 103. Snake charmer, Barbon." _He's the one who wore a blue turban. That's enough to remember him._ "He's vengeful. Next, number 76. Fighter, Cherry." _What the--? I thought he was a girl. Maybe when he was a baby, his mom thought he was gonna be a girl!_ I LOLed and stopped immediately which made most of the examinees look at me strangely. Tonpa continued. "In hand-to-hand combat, no one compares to him." _OOOOOHH! Likey likey! I'd like to learn from him sometime. So, the big guy in red. Got it. _"Number 255. Wrestler, Todo." _Chubby, black and white hair. _"His power is great and he's smart. Number 197-199. Amori brothers." _3 guys with mime eyes. Got it. Whoa, that kinda rhymed._ "With their exquisite combination play, they've done well on the exams. And…" Tonpa looked around. "Ah, there he is. Number 384. Hunter, Gereta." _Black guy with hat._ "He kills all sorts of animals with his blow-gun and club. He's good." Gereta looked at us and grinned. _He kills animals? I'd like to kill him. _"That's about it for the regulars." Tonpa finished.

"Everyone's amazing."

"No problem." Leorio said. "It's about if you pass or not." Right after he said that, the white-haired kid from earlier came speeding ahead of us. _He's got a skateboard! Cool! So he's number 99._

"Wow! That's cool!" Gon shouted.

"Hey! Stop reading my mind, Gon!" I frowned at him.

"Hehe. Sorry." He laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Hey you! Kid! That's not fair!" Leorio shouted at him. "You're cheating!"

"Ne, who are you?" Gon asked.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"How old are you?" Gon and I both asked.

"How am I cheating?" He asked Leorio.

"This is a test of stamina." Leorio answered.

"No it's not." Gon and I synchronized again. "The examiner just said 'follow me'."

"Hey, whose friend are you two? Don't gang up on me."

"Friend?" The boy repeated.

"Don't shout. You'll waste your energy." Kurapika said to Leorio. "It is loud in the first place. As a rule, the test permits you to bring anything you want." The kid slowed down and stared at Gon.

"What?" Gon asked.

"You two asked for my name." He said.

"Yes," I said.

"But if you don't want to answer," Gon continued.

"It's okay." I finished.

"I'm Gon."

"I'm Haku."

"We're both 12 years old." We synchronized again.

"Twelve, eh?" He said and got off his skateboard.

"You're not gonna use that anymore?" Gon asked.

"Hey, pops. How old are you?" The boy asked Leorio.

"I'm in my tens, like you guys." Leorio said with an irritated look.

"REALLY?" Gon, Tonpa, and I synchronized.

"You too Gon? That's so harsh…" He said with a sad look. "I'm through with you guys."

I felt Kurapika move away a bit and said, "I'm going to stay away now."

"Well, to tell you the truth Leorio, you… kinda… look like… umm… how do I say this… old?" I said slowly.

Leorio growled, "Why you little--"

"Tut-tut-tut." I swayed my fingers left and right and gave him my evil look. :] He didn't do anything else but grunt.

"I wonder who he is. He's about the same age as us." Gon said.

Leorio grunted. "Who cares who he is. He's an unpleasant brat." He said. I held my cap while running. It got loose earlier and strands of hair are starting to show up.

"Forget that. Everyone's going left, but what happens if you turn right? It might be a shortcut and an easy win." Leorio said as he loosened his necktie. _Huh?_ Gon and I sniffed the air.

"What's this?" Gon asked.

"I smell something sweet." I said.

"From the right tunnel." Gon continued.

///3 HOURS LATER///

"Another fork?" Kurapika asked. "It's been about 3 hours. How much longer do we have to run?"

"Hey! It's that smell again!" I shouted.

"Yeah. From the tunnel to the right." Gon agreed.

"It smells like sap." Tonpa said. Leorio was now sweating and breathing hard.

"Hey, Leorio. Are you okay?" I slowed down until I was beside him.

Suddenly, I heard him say, "I guess for a normal guy like me, it's a dream within a dream." Leorio looked like he was gonna faint. He stopped and put his hands to his knees.

"What? You're giving up already? Don't stop yet Leorio, you're not gonna die yet. You'll stop when I tell you to!" I yelled at him my hands on my hips.

"Leorio!" Gon shouted. He was about to run to us but the other kid called him.

"Are you guys stupid?" He asked with a blank expression. _Huh? _"He's finished."

"That's not true. Also, I can't just leave him. He's a friend." Gon said.

The boy's eyes widened. "Friends?"

"Yeah. Friend."

"Damn it!" Leorio grunted. "Whatever it takes, I'm going to become a Hunter, damn it!" He ran.

"Oiy! Leorio. Rest for a bit, will you?" I shouted.

"Shut up! If you guys… waste your time here…" He gasped for air "I'll leave you behind." He didn't make it far. Actually, he only ran from me to the boy. "Damn it! My leg won't move."

"It's not only for the money is it?" Kurapika asked him.

"Shut up! It's for the money! Money! There's no other reason." He shouted.

"Now is not the time to discuss this." Gon said. "Tonpa-san, what should we do?" He asked him.

Tonpa rubbed his chin and said, "That must be it. The smell." _Huh?_ "The fork." Tonpa pointed his finger. "The sweet smell that came out of the right passage." He turned to Leorio. "Hey, we might be able to regain your energy. I thought this smell was familiar. It must be the smell of Healing Cedar sap."

"Healing Cedar?" Gon asked.

"Yes. A sap used in the forest for exhausted Hunters. If you smell that scent for a while, you can temporarily restore your energy." He said. I had goosebumps from the back of my neck to my arms and rubbed my arms. Tonpa supported Leorio on his shoulder.

"Wait a second." Kurapika said. "What happens if it's a trap?"

"You're right. That's a possibility. But you can't just leave him here, right? It's a chance we have to take."

"But--"

"Do you know why I failed 35 times?" He cut Kurapika off. "It's because I'm a good-natured guy." I shuddered because of another goosebumps. "Once Leorio recovers, we'll catch up."

"Sorry for the trouble, Tonpa." Leorio said to him. "Gon, Kumi, Kurapika, don't mind me." I narrowed my eyes on him for a second.

"Kumi?" Tonpa asked. _Don't blow up my cover, Leorio!_

"Just go!" Leorio shouted. Gon looked like he was just about to cry. Like :S

"Don't worry. I'm with him." Tonpa said. "I haven't participated 35 times for nothing. I won't mess up by getting caught in some small trap. Now, hurry and go."

Gon used his rod to get Leorio's briefcase. "I understand." Gon said as he gave the briefcase to Tonpa. "Take care of Leorio." Tonpa nodded and he and Leorio headed back.

"Wait!" I shouted. "I'm coming with you." I ran after them.

"I said don't mind me, Haku." Leorio said.

"I _will_ come with you and you can't stop me." _I just really have a bad feeling about this, Leorio. _I looked back and nodded at Gon. I helped Tonpa carry Leorio and headed off.

When we got back to the last fork, we met up with Nicole. He was kneeling down and saying something. "I don't want to be a failure." He heard us walking and looked to us. He was crying.

"So, you got tired here." Tonpa said to him. "You now understand how an all-time failure feels? I'll help you. Come with me." He let go of Leorio and gave me the briefcase. He went to Nicole and carried him. When we got further into the right tunnel, I felt a little dizzy. Thick roots surrounded the walls of the tunnel.

"Just as I thought. This smell is…" Tonpa let go of Nicole when we got deep enough into the tunnel so I did the same to Leorio and sat down. "Now stay still and wait here for a while." He "Then, you guys will definitely… FAIL!"

"What are you talking about?" Leorio asked.

"I have a nickname. I kind of like it myself." Tonpa said still walking backwards. "Rookie Crusher Tonpa."

"Damn you!" Leorio cursed him. "What did you do? What's this place?"

"You'll know soon." He said and turned around to run away. "Later!"

"I'll kill you when I get a Hunter license, Tonpa." I smirked. "I _will_ pass the exam this year." I glared at him. "That's a promise."

"_If_ you can." He laughed maniacally and headed off.

"Sh*t!" Leorio shouted.

"L-leorio? What's wrong with Nicole?" I asked him. I stared at Nicole who was staring into the air, sweating, sweating, and sweating. He looked like he saw how he's gonna die. Leorio put his hand on Nicole's shoulder and Nicole suddenly screamed. A few seconds later, he looked like he's seeing ghosts and was paralyzed. He screamed and screamed and then he fell down on his back, his hand covering his face. "What's going on?"

* * *

A/N: Like I told you! Don't expect this chapter to be so great… TT_TT I'll just try my best in the next one (or should I say, 'I'll do what I can.'). Buuuttt… no promises okay? Belated thanks to: KiGaMi – for reviewing all the chapters :]; rubyparker93 – for the long review and the _opinion_ ^u~; and animeXbooksXmanga – for saying the chapter wasn't lame :D. If you want to see what Hakumi looks like, go to my profile and search for the URL. I can't put it here. :[


	7. Killua

**~recap~**

"I'll kill you when I get a Hunter license, Tonpa." I smirked. "I _will_ pass the exam this year." I glared at him. "That's a promise."

"_If_ you can." He laughed maniacally and headed off.

"Sh*t!" Leorio shouted.

"L-leorio? What's wrong with Nicole?" I asked him. I stared at Nicole who was staring into the air, sweating, sweating, and sweating. He looked like he saw how he's gonna die. Leorio put his hand on Nicole's shoulder and Nicole suddenly screamed. A few seconds later, he looked like he's seeing ghosts and was paralyzed. He screamed and screamed and then he fell down on his back, his hand covering his face. "What's going on?"

**~end recap~**

"W-what's happening to him, Leorio?" I asked taking a step away from Nicole but Leorio didn't answer. I looked over to Leorio.

He stopped and slowly turned around. "Pi-Pietoro." He said.

"Leorio, what are you talking about?" I asked, but he ignored me.

"Pi-Pietoro!" He shouted and walked away.

"Leorio, what are you doing?" I asked and followed him leaving Nicole behind.

"Where are you going?" Leorio asked reaching in front of him. He asked but the problem is… I wasn't the one he asked. I think he's seeing something, like Nicole. "Wait." Leorio said walking like a zombie. "Wait up! Hey!" He stopped for about a minute and I watched. He suddenly screamed for no reason and fell asleep. I caught him and dragged him back. _What's happening to them? And why isn't it happening to me? _*sigh* _I just hope everything's gonna be alright. I'm really gonna kill Tonpa! _:[

///Back in the Main Passageway///Tonpa's POV

I was running in the Main passageway. _Haha. Those guys were easily tricked! I am the 'Great' Rookie Crusher Tonp--._ I stopped when I saw the kid from earlier with the skateboard heading this way.

He stopped in front of me. "What're you scared of?" He asked me.

"I-it's nothing." I stuttered. _Stop stuttering, Tonpa! He'd notice._

"You…" he said. "…tricked them, eh?" He asked with a scary stare.

"Th-that's nonsense!" I lied.

He smirked and put his hands in his pocket. "I'll tell you something good." He moved and leaned forward which made me step backward. "Anyone who uses dirty tricks will die in a dirty way someday. I'm not lying. Wanna see if it's true?" He asked and leaned forward—which made me take another step backward._ Sh*t!_ "Right now… right here." _His eyes are so scary._ I moved to the right with a nervous smile and backed down until I bumped onto the wall. "Hn." He said and skateboarded back to the rookies. I sighed in relief. _Phew! Damn kid!_ I headed to the opposite way where the white-haired kid went.

///I don't know what time it is///Hakumi's POV

"Yeah." Leorio suddenly spoke. I sighed and put Leorio down beside a wall. I sat on the opposite wall and listened. "Pietoro, I'm sorry. I wanted to cure you but I didn't have the money for your surgery. Also, to perform the operation, I needed to become a real doctor. And to do that, I need a lot more money." _So he really needed the money. _"Damn it! I'm going to become a Hunter and make a lot of money. Then, I'll become a doctor and cure people like you who're ill. One by one! So--" Leorio suddenly stopped and screamed. Then, he fell asleep again.

I stood up and brushed the dirt off of me. "Time to go." I went to Leorio and carried him again. _I should've stayed with Gon and left this guy._

Gon's POV

I was walking, carrying Kurapika on my shoulder. He suddenly struggled which made it hard to walk. "Kurapika!" I called but he didn't answer. "Kurapika!" I let him go and he fell down. I heard a sound… I looked to the right and saw the white-haired boy coming fast. When, he got near us, he kicked Kurapika awake. I ran towards them. "Kurapika."

"Gon."

"I'm so glad you're back to yourself!" I said to him.

"There's no such thing a a Healing Cedar." The white-haired boy said. "This is what assassins used long ago… Delusion Cedar Sap. It shows illusions of your most fragile and private past and destroys your mind."

"You know a lot about it." I said.

"So, Tonpa tricked us." Kurapika said.

"We have to go." I said to them. _I'm worried about Kumi._

"There's a way to help the two guys and still catch up with the leading group." The boy smiled and looked back. "Games aren't fun if they're too simple."

"We're able to meet again. Will you tell us your name?" I asked.

He looked at me. "Killua."

"Killua…" I repeated and he nodded. "What should we do?"

He reached in his pocket and took out a small silver cylinder thing. "This is a bomb… a pretty powerful one." He said. "We're gonna blow up this nasty sap-covered wall."

Hakumi's POV

"What should I do? Tell me, Pietoro." Leorio said.

"I'll just ignore you for now, Leorio, okay? Okay." I was still carrying him on my back. He gets off of me and started to walk alone. _Good thing he's walking the right way. _

A few minutes later…

Leorio stopped walking. "I'm sorry. I can't go to your world. It might be a useless struggle and I'm not sure I can become a good doctor. But I don't want to end it like this, doing nothing." He said. "I want to help sick children, and people just like you! And say to their parents, 'I don't need any money!' For that reason, I want to live and become a doctor." Tears came down from Leorio's eyes and he sat down. "I'm sorry. Forgive me! Pietoro." After Leorio said that, a burst of light came in front of us.

"Leorio!" I shouted. The light… it was an explosion. Gon, Kurapika, and the white haired boy were in the air. _Gon? Why are you flyi—no, you're landing!_ I got off their way, leaving Leorio behind. Gon accidentally crashed on Leorio and rolled like an armadillo.

"As you said, it's easier this way, but rough. We can't turn back now." Kurapika said.

Leorio got up making funny noises and stopped as soon as he finally saw Gon and Kurapika. "Gon, Kurapika!"

"Haku." I added myself.

Leorio looked around and asked, "Pietoro?"

"It was an illusion caused by the smell of the sap on the walls." Kurapika explained. "You were tricked by Tonpa."

"Hallucination? I see. Looks like I was saved from a dangerous situation. But, didn't it affect you guys?"

"I was almost." Kurapika said.

"Nothing happened to me." Gon stood up.

"Me, too." I said as I walked to Gon.

"No doubt. It seems to be a trap that doesn't work on Gon and Kumi." Leorio said.

"Haku…" I corrected.

"You seem to have no worries." Leorio finished.

"Pops, there's no time for chit-chat." The white haired boy said.

"Pops?" Leorio looked at him. "Hey! It's you!"

"He's Killua." Gon introduced.

"Here comes the next set." Killua showed three small silver cylinder thingies between his fingers.

"Click?" Leorio said. He stared at it as Killua threw it far behind Leorio. "Is that what I think it is?" A second later, it exploded. "A bomb?" Leorio shouted.

"No. 'Bomb_s_'" I said. "Super cool!"

"Let's go!" Kurapika said and we ran to it. Killua threw another set of bombs and followed. We jumped through the big hole in the wall and saw the other people remaining.

"What's the meaning of this?" Satotsu asked us.

Gon scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, we destroyed the wall a little." _Haha, a little? Nice one, Gon._

"I never said you can't destroy it. You wandered into the path of delision and came back alive. Impressive." Satotsu replied.

Leorio saw Tonpa and went to him. "You!" He grabbed Tonpa's shirt. "I won't let you get off so easily!"

"Quit it, Leorio!" Gon stopped him.

"Shut up! Aren't you mad, Gon?" Leorio asked.

"Obstacles are incidental in a test!" Kurapika said. Leorio finally let go of Tonpa and walked back to us. I looked at Tonpa who also looked at me. I pointed my index and middle finger from my eyes to his. I smiled evilly and the First Exam was resumed.

"Thanks, Killua." Gon thanked him.

"I didn't exactly help you." Killua replied. "I told you, this is a game."

"Now, everyone, It's almost the last spurt. I'm going to increase my pace a little." Satotsu went on. _What the--?_ The path where we're headed was like a mountain.

///Later///

"So that's how it is, you liar." Kurapika said to Leorio—who was now running half naked. "Kumi told me."

"Haku…" I corrected. I was only a foot in front of them.

"I am not. My objective _is _money. The past is past. Money is money. Anything that's not worth money, I throw away."

"I hope you can become one."

"You don't have to tell me! I'm going to become a Hunter, even if I die!"

"No, I meant a doctor."

"Don't look so innocent when saying things like that. What if someone misunderstands us?" He said. "Alright! Let's go!" He sprinted.

"Are you okay, Leorio?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah! Look how energetic I am!" He shouted. "Now I know that if I ignore how people look at me, I can go even further. I'm gonna keep going, even if I have to run naked!" Kurapika suddenly took off his cape thingy (I don't know what it's called).

"It's the exit!" Gon shouted.

"You look glad." Killua said.

"You're not?" I asked him.

"Not really. It's only an exit." He said. "What a boring exam. This isn't even close to a game."

"But if we pass, we can become Hunters." Gon said. "Right, Haku?" He smiled at me. I chuckled and nodded in reply.

"Why do you two want to be a Hunter so much?"

"Our dad's a Hunter. He must be a great one." Gon replied.

"Must be?" Killua repeated.

"Since we grew up in our aunt's place, we only know our dad through a picture." I explained.

"But it's okay. We want to become a Hunter like our dad." Gon added. "By the way, that skateboard… can I borrow it sometime?" Go asked.

"If you let me borrow your fishing rod." Killua smiled.

"Hey Killua," I called. "Do I look like a girl to you?" I asked.

"No. Why do you ask?" He replied.

"Nothing." I grinned and Gon laughed a bit. "I can see the sky again!" I said.

"Numele Swamp also, Swindler's Roost. To get to the Second Exam Center, we must pass through here." Satotsu said. "There are many rare animals that only exist here. Many of them trick people in order to eat them. They're cunning and greedy animals."

"Are there also small animals there?" I asked him and he nodded. "Great!" _I can finally find a perfect pet!_ The exit behind us suddenly closed, trapping one of the exhausted examinees inside.

"Please be careful and follow me." Satotsu announced. "If you get tricked, you'll die." He pointed his finger upward.

"That's a funny thing to say. If we know we're gonna be tricked, how can we be tricked?"

"He's lying! That guy's lying!" A man appeared from behind. Once again, my eyes narrowed by itself and I ignored it. _I must be tired? I don't think so. I don't even feel a sweat sliding on any part of my body_. The guy was injured. He was holding a dead creature upside down. "He's a fake!" He pointed to Satotsu. "He's not an Examiner! I'm the _real_ Examiner!" Goosebumps flooded my arms.

"Fake? What's going on?" Leorio asked.

"Who's that guy over there?" A bald ninja guy asked.

A/N: No AN for now :]


	8. Hisoka, the Magician

A/N: I'm so happy I got my humor back and I got a new reviewer! Ayumistar00.. :] Oh yeah, rubyparker93 said that Gon and Kumi's eyes should be different (that was said in chapter 1). Sorry for the eye-mistake. I'll try to draw another one when I feel like it. I also apologize for the typographical errors/ misspelled words from the last chapter. I'm not gonna change it because I'm busy and lazy. Plus, you all understood the chapter. :]

Once again, please review more and more and more! :] Your reviews make me happy… knowing that people read my _soft_work. Hehe. -_- (I know, I know…! I'm not funny…) You can go on now… read before I give out un-funny jokes…!

* * *

"A fake?"

"Which one is the real examiner?"

"Hey old man." Leorio called to the injured guy. "You better have proof. Proof that he's a fake." He said to him as he pointed at Satotsu.

"Look at this." He threw the creature in front of him. It was a dead monkey with a man's head.

"H-hey. That face." An examinee said. "It looks just like the examiner's face!"

"Yeah." The injured guy said. "This is a human-faced monkey that lives in Numele Swamp. It takes the form of a person, ingeniously tricks people, and then lures them into a trap. He's one of the human-faced monkeys!" He pointed at Satotsu. "He's trying to get all of the candidates killed to eat you all!"

Leorio turned around and faced Satotsu. "What?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem true." The ninja said.

"The way he ran the marathon… I thought it was too farfetched." Leorio and other examinees slowly gathered around Satotsu.

"I wonder if this is part of the Hunter Exam." Gon said. Everyone looked at him.

"Exam?" Leorio repeated. "Gon, Kumi…" He whispered to us.

"The name is Haku…" I corrected.

"Whatever. You'd know, wouldn't you… with your animal-like instincts?"

"Nope." I answered as I shook my head.

"Not at all." Gon added. Leorio's face fell down. "We don't smell anything."

"Is that so?" Leorio asked.

"There's a way to determine who's real. The real Examiner should have a License Card." Kurapika said. "Only a Hunter can tell if another person can become a Hunter."

"So that means he's a Hunter?" I asked.

"Awesome!" Gon said.

"He stole my card!" The injured guy shouted. I smirked. _Quick answer there, mister! _I chuckled. "I was attacked by surprise and he took everything."

"That means, having a card won't prove anything." Leorio said. After that, few cards flew out going straight to the two possible examiners. The injured guy was hit in the face. _Cool cards! I want to have some. I'll practice it on Leorio._ Satotsu caught all three cards before it could hit his face.

"I see, I see." Hisoka shuffled the cards on his hand.

"Wh-why'd you do that?" Leorio asked him.

"This way, it's much faster." He replied. The human-faced monkey stood up and tried to escape but before it could disappear, Hisoka threw the card to its back—which killed the creature. "This settles everything. You're the real one, Mr. Examiner." He said to Satotsu. "A Hunter, which we're all trying to become, should be able to block that simple attack."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Satotsu said as he tossed the cards down. "But, any more acts of violence against the Examiner, for any reason, will result in your failing. Understood?" He asked Hisoka.

"Yes, yes." Hisoka replied.

"How unnatural." Killua said to us.

"A Hunter shouldn't be tricked by a mere human-faced monkey." Kurapika turned to the dead impostor. "From the point his License Card was stolen, I knew he was fake. But that Hisoka guy… he deliberately attacked the Examiner." I looked at Hisoka's direction and saw another strange guy. He was tall, dark, and he was like a pincushion. _Ew. When did that guy come here? I didn't notice him before._

"Hey, how long are you gonna stare at that thing?" Killua called my attention, even when he didn't. He was asking Gon who was staring at the dead monkey. I walked to them and joined the staring contest. _Haha.-_-_

"No need to grieve." Satotsu went behind us. "These animals risk their lives trying to trick each other on a daily basis." The vultures feasted on the monkey. "Eat or be eaten. That's the rule in this swamp. Now, shall we go ahead?" He asked. "To the Second Exam Center."

///Later///

"A marathon again?" Leorio complained while running. Kurapika accidentally splashed a mud to Leorio's face. "Damn it! Be careful!" As we went deeper into the swamp, fog was starting to block my sight.

"What's with this fog?" I asked.

"Gon, Haku, let's move further ahead." Killua said.

"Yeah, it won't be good if we lose sight of the Examiner." Gon agreed.

"That's not important." Killua said. _Then what is? _"We should get far away from Hisoka as soon as possible." Huh? "He… has a strong urge to kill people."

"Right." I nodded.

"Hiding in this fog, he'll kill a lot." Killua said. "You seem interested in how I know. It's by his smell."

"Smell?" Gon repeated.

"Yeah, he and I are the same type."

"I don't feel that way." Gon said.

"Like that monkey, I am well disguised and putting on a good face. You'll find out soon."

"Kurapika! Leorio! Killua says we should go ahead more!" Gon shouted to them.

"Dumbass! If I could, I would've been there already!" Leorio replied.

"Well, do something about that and come over here!"

"It's impossible, damnit!"

'-_- I slapped my forehead. "Gon, Gon, Gon… I sometimes really want to believe that I'm not your sister." I said to him.

"Sister?" Killua asked me. I realized that I just blurted out a bit that I'm a girl.

"What? Did I say sister? Sorry, I mean 'brother', Twin Brother. Never mind that, the fog is getting thicker. Come on." We ran faster. _Phew! Thanks to you, fog. Great timing._

"You're twins?" Killua pointed at us. Gon nodded.

"Yup." I nodded, too.

"You don't... look alike." Killua said.

"Your turn, Gon." I said. Gon narrowed his eyes to look like me. "I can't believe it. Should twins _need_ to look alike?" I asked myself.

A few seconds later, we heard a scream from behind which made us stop running.

"Whose voice was that?" Gon asked.

"Someone must've gotten tricked." Killua said.

"I sure hope the two are okay." I turned around..

"Hey, hey. No one's following us anymore." Amori brother (197) said.

"Seriously? There were at least a hundred of them!" Amori brother (198) asked. More and more screams were heard around the swamp. Other noises of animals and also some explosions were heard.

"Should we go back?" I asked.

"No. Come on." Killua said and ran. We followed. "You shouldn't be worrying about others right now. We'll fail if we get lost in this fog. Pray that those screams didn't belong to your friends." A few minutes later, a strange feeling went inside me. I froze and suddenly stopped running.

"Leorio!" Gon and I shouted and went back. _The best thing about being Gon's twin is that I know when he's gonna do something reckless._

"Hey!" Killua tried to stop us but he can't change our minds now that we know Leorio's in danger. Gon and I saw Leorio, and Hisoka was just about to kill him. Gon quickly attacked Hisoka using his rod and I, too, attacked by throwing one of my twin sai to him.

"You're pretty good, boy." Hisoka said to Gon. His left forehead was a bit red because of Gon's attack. "A fishing rod? That's an interesting weapon. Can you let me see it for a while?" Hisoka asked as he walked near us.

"Your opponent… is me!" Leorio charged at Hisoka but he was only punched in the face by Hisoka. While we had the chance, Gon and I charged at Hisoka. I pulled out my other sai and got ready to attack Hisoka.

Before we could hit him, Hisoka vanished. Before we know it, Hisoka's two hands were holding Gon's and my neck. He laughed. "You, kids, came to help your friend? Good boys… Yeah, you pass." His face changed from a smirk to a happy face like: ^u^. "Oh my, my… you came back?" Hisoka asked Kurapika who came from behind him. "So the saying, 'everyone should have a friend' is true." Kurapika looked at Leorio who was lying on his front. A cellphone ringed and caught our attention. Hisoka took it out from his pocket and answered. "Okay, I'll be there." He said to the other line. He walked to Leorio and picked him up.

"Leorio!" Gon shouted.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill him." Hisoka said. "Because he passed, too."

"What do you mean?" I asked taking a step forward getting ready to charge again.

"Give Leorio back!" Gon shouted beside me.

"If you want him back, follow me." Hisoka jogged away. After that, Gon and I fell down on our knees and breathed deeply.

Kurapika ran towards us. "Are you two alright?"

"That was… frightening." I said. "It's like riding a roller coaster and feeling happy that you survived it."

"Come on!" Gon stood up and ran. Kurapika and I followed.

"Do you know it _that_ clearly?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah, the cologne Leorio had on is unique." Gon replied. "Also, like a waymark, corpses of animals are lying around. They probably attacked Hisoka and were killed instead. They probably attacked Hisoka." I added. _Oh yeah, speaking of animals, I haven't found one yet._

"But that doesn't mean Hisoka is heading towards the goal. He's a devil. Just like hunting, he might be making us run around, then kill us for his amusement."

"Even so… we can't abandon Leorio." Gon said. Then, a huge frog appeared from the ground. We jumped over it.

"Hisoka said that Leorio, Kumi and I passed. What do you think he meant by that?" Gon asked.

"He said he was playing _Examiner_. That means Hisoka was testing us."

"Testing?" I repeated. Then, something caught my attention. It was a small animal… small as a rabbit and green as grass. I slowed down and followed it. I went through the bushes and searched for it. There... I saw it (...it kinda looked like mew from pokemon). I chased it and caught it. It was awesome! It had two big eyes and small fangs but it had no nose. I_t's scared of me._ I petted it gently. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." I said. I noticed that there was a cut on its cheek. "Where's your family?" it didn't answer so that means I can take it away! I smiled. "Come on, little guy. We'll cure that cut off of you." I ran following Gon's scent, carrying the creature in my arms.

//Second Exam Center//

I heard a gunshot in front of me. I felt something in my arms move. I looked at it but I saw nothing. _You can become invisible? Cool! You really are perfect. _"Time's up! Everyone did a nice job. This Bisuka Park is the Second Exam Center." Satotsu announced _Whoa! Lucky me, I got here in time!_

"Kumi!" I heard Gon's voice. I looked around and saw the three. I ran towards them looking weird—because I'm carrying an invisible creature. "Congratulations. The people who've made it here have passed the First Exam." Satotsu announced. "I wish all of you good luck on the Second Exam." He walked away after that.

Gon sighed in relief. "I'm so glad."

"We did it." Killua said. "What kind of magic did you two use? I thought you'd _never_ come back." We told him what happened and…

O.O "You followed Leorio's smell?" -_-' "You really _are_ weird."

"Not as weird as this!" I showed them Ryuu, the invisible creature.

"Uhh.. Kumi?" Gon asked.

"Haku. Haku. Haku. Haku. Haku. -_- Gon, I said my name is Haku. Now, this is Ryuu." I held him up to them. "Touch him."

"What will we touch?" Killua asked.

"Ryuu, show yourself." I said to him. He slowly appeared in my hands.

"Whoa! What's that?" They both asked leaning over Ryuu. I felt him shiver. I pulled him away from the two.

"I don't know. I just… found him… alone. Oh yeah. I almost forgot…" I ran over to Leorio and asked if he could cure Ryuu's cut before he gets scared of Leorio's sore cheek. _Hisoka really punched him hard. I should remind myself to ask Hisoka if he could teach me some fighting moves. Haha -_-._

///Later///

The Second Exam is about to begin. We're all waiting for the huge doors to open. There was a loud noise coming from inside. I know that everyone's wondering what it might be.

"It's almost time." Gon said.

"Are you all getting nervous?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah, we don't know what kinda guy is gonna come out." Leorio answered. "We could suddenly be attacked, too."

"You sure like fighting, don't you, Leorio?" I asked him. We waited for the clock to strike twelve. 10 seconds left… 6… 3… 2… 1… And the door opened.

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A/N: Bum bada bam! What a cliffhanger! Thanks for reading! I'll make the next ASAP :] [To tell you the truth, I'm a procrastinator(sp?). Guess who's my inspiration...]


	9. Cooking Academy

A/N: I can't move my face and it's all your faults! I can't stop smiling :D because of your reviews! XP. The idea of 'Hisoka teaching Kumi how to fight' couldn't be missed in your reviews. BTW. Ryuu is a he ^^,. Thanks and sorry for everything. Please also read rubyparker93's "Death: My New Beginning" and "Adventure of a Lifetime" :] I liked them.

* * *

**~recap~**

The Second Exam is about to begin. We're all waiting for the huge doors to open. There was a loud noise coming from inside. I know that everyone's wondering what it might be.

"It's almost time." Gon said.

"Are you all getting nervous?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah, we don't know what kinda guy is gonna come out." Leorio answered. "We could suddenly be attacked, too."

"You sure like fighting, don't you, Leorio?" I asked him. We waited for the clock to strike twelve. 10 seconds left… 6… 3… 2… 1… And the door opened.

**~end recap~**

My stomach growled as the doors opened. I rubbed my belly. _I'm getting hungry._ We finally saw what's inside the warehouse. There was a woman sitting on an orange couch. She had pink hair and nice _curves_ ^.~ (you know what I mean). And there was a guy sitting behind the couch. He wasn't big at all… he's GINORMOUS! with an exclamation point. And he had curves, too, but in a different way ;].

"Thanks for waiting." The woman said and looked up to the GINORMOUS! guy. "Hey, have you gotten hungry yet, Buhara?"

Then, a growling sound was heard. "The noise says it all. I'm really hungry, Menchi." Buhara said.

"So.. We, Epicure Hunters, will be in charge of the Second Exam." Menchi announced.

"Epicure Hunter?" Leorio repeated.

"What's that?"

"An Epicure Hunter is a Hunter that scours the world for all sorts of ingredients." Kurapika explained. "They also try to create interesting new flavours. Of course, the Hunters themselves are first class chefs, too."

"Hmm…" The bald ninja rubbed his chin. "That means the topic is gonna be…"

"Yes. The topic for the Second Exam is cooking." Menchi finished.

"Cooking?" Almost every examinee repeated.

"I thought it was gonna be eating." I mumbled.

"Geez. Why do we have to cook after coming all the way here?" Todo complained.

"You there, if you have a problem, go home." Menchi pointed at him. "If anyone else has a problem with this, you can go home now." _Looks like someone haven't eaten their lunch yet... Who's that? It's me, Buhara, and Menchi!_ There was a moment of silence after that. "Looks like no one has a problem."

"So, what kind of dish do we have to prepare?" Ninja guy asked.

"First, you'll prepare the dish I specify." Buhara replied.

"Anyone who passes that can prepare the dish that I specify." Menchi continued. "That means, if both of us say it's good, you pass the Second Exam."

"That's not fair!" Todo complained again. "What tastes good varies between people."

"Even if it tastes good to us, we're finished if it doesn't satisfy you examiners." Amori brother (197) said. Other examinees started complaining, too.

Menchi stood up and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Ok, ok, calm down." She put her hands on her hips. "Listen up. Like I said before, anyone who doesn't want to take the exam may leave. Bye bye."

"Bullsh*t!" Leorio shouted. "We can't go home after coming all the way here." Other people agreed to Leorio and started to complain again.

"It's because you started complaining that this became so complicated." An examinee grabbed Todo's shirt.

"You guys are annoying." The ninja shouted. "Seriously, the people who're complaining should go home!"

"Excuse me, but could you continue your explanation?" Gon asked Menchi.

"So you pass if you can make us both say it's good." Menchi said. "The exam ends when both of us are full."

"Damn it. I've never cooked in my life." Leorio said.

"We have." Gon said.

"It's hard to imagine it from your looks." Leorio said. "What can you make?"

"There's a lot, but the dish we're good at is… raw egg over rice." I replied.

"E-egg over rice?" Leorio stuttered. O.e I crossed my arms and nodded :].

"W… well, that is a dish." Kurapika stuttered, too.

Leorio laughed. "But still, it's gonna taste the same regardless of who makes it."

"That's not true. Mito-san complimented me before." Gon disagreed.

"Ahh, fine. Let me try it someday." Leorio said.

"Me, too." Kurapika added.

"Ok then." Buhara announced. "My menu is… barbecued pig." He drooled as pointed his index finger upward.

"Barbecued pig?" Bald-ninja guy repeated.

"My favorite. The world's most violent pig that lives in this forest, Great Stamp!"

"Great Stamp?" Everyone repeated. A second later, the ground shook. Pigs started to run to us sending many examinees flying into the air. We ran for our lives. Each examinee was chased by a pig the size of a couch.

"Leorio!" I heard Gon shout. "Hit its head! The head is the weak point!" _Thanks for telling Leorio first, Gon!_ I ran towards my pig and jumped on its back. I quickly pulled out my sai and used the handle to hit the pig's head really hard. I jumped off of it and hid my sai back to my arm warmers.

"Ryuu! Cooking time!" I shouted. Ryuu appeared over the pig and jumped onto my shoulder.

///Later///

Buhara burped after eating the last pig. He patted his stomach and licked his lips. "I'm full, I'm full. I can't eat anymore."

Menchi hit the gong. "The end!" She announced. "Seventy barbecued pigs completed."

"He-he's a monster." Ninja guy said.

"Hunters are really amazing people." Gon said.

I put my hands around Gon's ear. "But you don't wanna look like that, do you?" I whispered.

"Well, they're amazing in a way." Killua said.

"This is weird." Kurapika said. "It's odd. It's clear that the amount he ate is greater than his body weight."

"Umm, I don't think you have to worry that much." Leorio advised.

"You…" Menchi called Buhara. "You're gonna say that all the pigs you ate are good? That won't make it a test then!"

"Come on, we were able to decrease the numbers." Buhara replied. "It's not a test to judge the taste."

"You're too easy on them." Menchi said. "One who is an Epicure Hunter must be honest about taste. Oh well, it can't be helped." She hit the gong again. "Barbecued pig test, seventy people pass!" She announced.

"I'm not as easy as Buhara. My judgements are gonna be strict!" She put her hand to her hips as she walked. "My menu is… Sushi!"

_Sushi? What's that? _[raijuuxo6: I can't believe you, Kumi! That's my favorite Japanese food! You _should _know about it!] Everyone's repeating the word Sushi and wondering what it is.

Menchi smirked, "Looks like you're all troubled. Well, it's no wonder you don't know. It's a cultural dish from a small island country. I'll give you a hint!" She shouted. "Look inside here." Everyone ran inside. "You're gonna cook here. The minimum requirements of tools and ingredients are here." She explained. "And we even provide the rice needed for the sushi. And the biggest hint…" she pointed her finger upward. "I'll only accept pressed sushi. Now it's time to start. The exam ends when I'm full. During that time, you can make as much as you want." She shouted.

"I wonder if we just make it with the rice." Gon asked.

Killua looked at the knives. He threw it up and caught it. "When I look at these tools, they can be used for something else."

Leorio stared at the rice as he rubbed his chin. "Pressed, eh? I have a general idea of a shape, but I've no idea on the most important aspect—the ingredients."

"Pressed sushi." Kuapika said. "I don't know the exact shape, but I remember reading it in a document. It said, 'It's a dish with rice mixed with vinegar and seasonings, topped with fresh fish meat'."

"Fish?" Leorio shouted. "We're in a forest!"

Kurapika threw a spoon(?) at Leorio's forehead. "Your voice id too loud! There's fish in ponds or rivers!" Kurapika shouted. There was a moment of silence and after that, every examinee rushed out the door and headed to fish.

"FISH!" All of us raced to the river.

"You must be glad, Gon." Killua said. "Fishing is your specialty." Gon nodded. Each and every one of us had different styles of fishing.

I took out my shoes and arm warmers. Just like Leorio and Hisoka_-sama _did, I will dive into the river. I floated over the water. "Ryuu! Can you swim too?" I shouted to him. He dove into the water and followed me.

///Fishing Time is Over///

After swimming into the water, I decided not to change my clothes because even if my chest isn't _inflated_ yet, I am still a… g—girl.

"I'm confident about this. Adding fresh fish to the rice, then pressing it creates this." Leorio added something. He went to Menchi and said, "I'm done. I'm the first to finish. It's called the 'Leorio Special'. Now, please eat it." Leorio put the plate on to Menchi's table.

"Let me see…" she took off the cover and saw a fish with rice around it. A second later, she threw the dish away. "I can't eat this!"

"Hey! You didn't have to throw it away damn it!" Leorio complained.

"What?" She pointed her finger upward. "You wanna fail? Hurry up and go back." She shooed Leorio away. Leorio's face fell down and he slouched as he walked away. "Listen. The shape is important." She announced. "Any thing not shaped as pressed sushi won't even be sampled."

Gon was done making his sushi and headed to Menchi. "You're at the same level as number 403!" Menchi threw Gon's creation away. Gon's face fell down as he came back to us.

I patted his shoulder. "Don't believe her, Gon. You're not the same level as Leorio. If you are, then that means I am, too… you know why? Because we're twins. Now, please excuse me… I have to kill myself." I said and then left the warehouse with Ryuu. I sat on a tree, watching the people's food get rejected. I saw Satotsu hiding by the door. Two human-faced monkeys were behind him. _Oh, Killua's turn now._ Menchi threw it away. _I guess no one would pass this year's exam._ I saw Hisoka walk out carrying his food. Ryuu and I followed him to the river.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me. _How did he know I was here?_ I stopped hiding behind one of the trees.

"W-well, I… I saw you walk out from the warehouse a-and I wondered what's wrong." I stuttered.

He looked at me but I didn't feel any danger from him that time. "I know that's not the real reason."

"Well, I was wondering if you could… uh… t- t- teach me… how to… f-fight." I stuttered.

///Back in the Warehouse///Kurapika's POV

"Come on, I haven't even tasted one yet." Menchi shouted. "Are you starving me to death?"

I rubbed my chin. _I have no idea about the shape. So, from the data available here, I have to go about this logically. 'You can make as many as you want. The shape is important.' From her statement and from the name pressed sushi, I can guess that it's a typical shape like a croquet or hamburger steak. And the item she has, and the plate with the seasoning in it… if she holds the sushi that dips it in the liquid,the size is similar to an egg, maybe smaller. And if I add fresh fish meat to it… _"I got it!" I made it super fast and put it onto Menchi's table.

She took the plate and threw it. "You're the same level as the first guy!" _I-I'm the s-same level as L-Leorio? It- it can't be! My life's ruined! I know now what Gon felt earlier._

"Is that such a shock?" Leorio asked as he pointed at me.

"Damnt it, all of you! Observation skills… attentiveness… You have no sense at all! I hate this!" Menchi made a ruckus.

"Looks like it's my turn." The bald ninja said. He took off the cover of his food. "How's this? This is the real sushi!"

"Finally, something that looks normal came out. Let's see." Menchi ate the sushi. "Nope. It's not good." She gave the plate back to the ninja. "Redo it."

"w-what? To make pressed sushi you press rice into a rectangular shape and make it into a mouthful size. On that, you put wasabi and sliced fish meat. It's an easy dish!" He shouted. "There's no difference in taste regardless of whoever makes this crap!" He stopped and looked at everyone.

"Easy? This crap?" Menchi's face was full of anime veins. "No difference in taste?" She grabbed the ninja's shirt. "Don't fool around with me! It's said that you need 10 years to prepare pressed sushi properly!" She looked scary now. "Even if you amateurs can make the shape look similar, the taste is very different. IDIOT!"

"Then don't make it the topic for the test!" The ninja replied.

"Shut up!" She started to push and pull him. "Got a problem? Huh? Wanna die?"

"Menchi kinda reminds me of Kumi." Leorio said. "Speaking of her… Where is she?"

"Kumi?" Killua repeated. "Who's that?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing!" I laughed nervously. "It's just Leorio's imaginary friend. Right, Leorio?" I eyed Leorio and punched his arm lightly.

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget she's not real." Leorio scratched the back of his head.

"Can I borrow Leorio for a moment?" I said and pulled him away from Killua. "What are you doing?" I whispered to Leorio. "We're gonna be dead if we told somebody. Now come on. We have to make sushi!"

"Next challenger, come up." Menchi shouted. Everyone ran to her. She tasted Gon first but he failed. The next is the gray-haired boy from earlier and then, the pincushion man, then, Tonpa. They all failed… we all failed.

///Later///

"Sorry, I'm full now." Menchi scratched the back of her head.

"So what does this mean?" The ninja asked.

"So, just as I said earlier, no one passes. Come again." She waved her hands goodbye. She stopped and looked at everyone.

"That's not fair." …

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A/N: Thanks for reading! :] Do I still need to remind you to review? Hehe. I hope you like it.


	10. Another Second Exam

A/N: Hey Guys! Raijuuxo6 here! Once again, you've made my face smile and my heart jump. Thanks to everyone again! :]

You're all wondering what happened to Hisoka and Hakumi? I bet you didn't think about me… TT_TT I realized it was a very big mistake that I made Kumi ask Hisoka to teach her how to fight. I had a VERY hard time figuring out what to do with them! I had to change my mind several times deciding if I would make Hisoka teach Kumi or not...

Well, here it is… and I think it's not as good as before...

* * *

///By the River///Kumi's POV

I was lying on the ground exhausted and my short-long hair (hehe I don't know what to call it) has been revealed. I also had a few small cuts on my arm and face.

Hisoka was sitting next to me. He was holding a card in front of my neck. "I beat you." He said. Hisoka agreed to teach me because he said he doesn't have anything better to do. He taught me _some_ moves but he said he'd kill me right before I can tell anyone about it. He said it'd ruin his reputation of being a killer. Hehe. _It's a good thing I can tell lies much better than Gon. Hisoka can kill people but I think he's okay._

"Oh, man! I was close to beating you!" I shouted. Yes, we were just sparring and not fighting. Hisoka put the card away and stood up. "Thanks for teaching me but can I ask you something?" I said. "Why do you kill and why didn't you kill me before when I asked you to teach me?"

"That's a secret." He used his usual creepy smile. "I'm done teaching." He said and then sat by the river again… the same way when I followed him here.

"Okay. Thanks… and please don't tell anyone I'm a girl. See you later!" I said to him as I climbed up on a tree branch. "Ryuu, wanna train with me?" I asked him. He jumped up to the tree branch and followed me to another part of the forest. I saw a clearing, and Ryuu and I went there to spar.

///Half An Hour Later///

Even though Hisoka only taught me, Ryuu learned, too. He memorized every attack I learned from Hisoka. "You're a fast learner, Ryuu." I said as Ryuu and I lied down on the grass. _I'm bushed!_ Suddenly, I heard a buzzing sound… and I saw a big airship in the sky. _Hey, that's the Hunter Committee's mark! Looks like there's a problem in the Exam Center. I wonder… _"Come on, Ryuu. Let's get back to the Exam Center." I got up and hid my hair inside my cap again. Then Ryuu and I ran to the 2nd Exam Center.

"But still, Menchi-kun. Isn't failing everyone a bit too harsh?" A voice from the airship said. Ryuu and I came there just in time. I saw Gon and the others were just coming out from the warehouse.

I ran to them. "Haku…" I said before anyone could call me Kumi. "What's the problem?" I whispered to Gon and Killua.

"Everyone failed the exam so the Hunter Committee is here to help us." Gon replied in a whisper.

There was a man who jumped from the airship. _What? He jumped from the airship? Cool! How'd he do that?_ Everyone got amazed. Wait, he's not just a man… he's an _old_ man. He had a long gray beard, long gray eyebrows and a… how could I describe this… long ponytailed bald head?

"Mr.… President…" Menchi gulped. The old guy walked towards Menchi.

"He jumped from a place that high. Amazing…" Gon said. I nodded in agreement.

"Yep." Killua agreed. "What are his legs made of?" People crowded over the place where the old guy landed.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, President Netero." Menchi bowed. The old guy named Netero, nodded.

"The Examination Committee President." Satotsu said as he walked to Netero. "He's that most important person in charge of the Hunter Exam."

"Ohh… so he's an important person." Gon said smiling :D.

"No wonder…" Killua added.

"Even if you say I'm in charge, I just work behind the scenes." Netero said to Satotsu. "I basically resolve troubled situations like these. Now Menchi-kun."

"Yes, sir!" She said.

"You, at the 2nd half of the 2nd Exam, tried to see if these people had the spirit to challenge the unknown by testing them through cooking."

"Yes! My purpose was solely based on that point. That's why I gave an especially difficult topic. But…"

"But…?"

"N-nothing."

"By examining the candidates on that purpose, everyone had a problem in their attitude. So, is that not the reason why you failed everyone?"

"No. One of the candidates criticized cooking so I lost my temper and at this time, I ran into trouble where all the candidates found out how to make the dish. While I was mad, I became full, and…"

"So you realized you didn't test them thoroughly enough?"

"Yes, sir. When it comes to cooking, lose myself." She faced down. "I'm not worthy of being an Examiner. I'm sorry."

Netero laughed. "You're an honest girl! As an Examiner, you do seem to have some problems. But as an Epicure Hunter with the Single hunter title, the situation was inevitable. It's proof that you're passionate about cooking." He said then he pointed his finger upward. "How's this, then… redo the test, and Menchi-kun will resume as the Examiner. But for the new topic, you'll have to give a demonstration for the test. How's that?" He asked. "That was, the candidates will be convinced of the pass or fail verdict."

"It's a retest." Gon said.

"Yeah, aren't you glad, Gon?" Killua asked.

"I hope it's gonna be fun." I said.

"What's the topic for the retest, Examiner?" Netero asked Menchi.

"Let's see." She rubbed her chin. "Then the topic is… Boiled Egg."

"Alright!" Gon and I high fived.

"Once again, this topic is quite unique." Killua said.

"Mr. President, could you take us to that mountain over there?" Menchi pointed to the mountain. It looked like a plateau.

"I see. That's an easy task." Netero replied.

…

We all rode the airship. I got surprised by how the airship managed to fly with all of us in there… because Buhara is included, too.

…

We got down from the airship. The mountain we were standing on had a cliff in the middle. "We're here." Menchi announced.

"What the heck is this? What's it like down there?" Todo asked.

Without him noticing, I crept behind him. "Do you wanna know what's it like? I'd be happy to help you." I smiled and pretended to push him. He closed his eyes and screamed which made other people look at him. I burst out laughing like there's no tomorrow. Todo grabbed me by the shirt but I really can't stop laughing.

"Don't worry." Menchi told him as she took her shoes off. "There's a deep river down there." She faced the cliff and looked at us over her shoulder. "I'll go ahead now." She jumped to the cliff.

"The Spider-Eagle that lives on Mt. Mafutatsu… she went to get its egg." Netero explained. "The Spider-Eagle extends a tough string between the valley and hangs its egg in order to protect it from predators. Get one Spider-Eagle's egg, and come back."

An arm appeared on the edge of a cliff and out came Menchi's upper body. She raised her other arm and showed to us a Spider-Eagle's egg. "You make a boiled egg with this." She shouted. "Be careful, though. The river below flows pretty fast. If you fall, you'll flow nonstop to the ocean… which is 20-30km away."

"Last one to go back is a rotten Spider-Eagle egg!" I shouted to them as I ran and somersaulted to the cliff. I hung upside down on a Spider-Eagle's string and took an egg. "Cool." I hid stored the egg to one of my arm warmers. I jumped from string to string and got back up to the top. I did all that before Leorio could jump. _Hehe… I'm the second to finish!(Menchi is first.)_

"Great job, kid." Menchi said to me.

"Thanks." I replied.

"What about everyone else?" Menchi asked the others. "Give up?"

"It takes courage to quit, too." Netero said. "The test isn't only this year."

"I'm going down there, too." Todo ran to the edge of the cliff and jumped down. _You didn't need to say it though._ I rolled my eyes.

I sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the others. Other people fell into the river and failed the exam; other people didn't go down the cliff and failed the exam. I watched Gon as he ran on a string and took an egg. Todo kicked Gon snatched the egg from him.

"Hey Todo! Give that back to Gon! I'll push you to the river if you don't!" I shouted. Then, Spider-Eagles flew and started to bug everyone in the cliff making them let go of the string.

"Help me!" Todo shouted as he fell down. 'Reckless Gon' came to the rescue! He jumped towards Todo and caught him. Then, he quickly used his rod to save them from falling to the rushing river.

"Gon! Are you okay?" I shouted to him.

"Yeah! I'm okay!" Gon shouted.

"That boy is one odd kid." Menchi said.

"You can say that again!" I said to Menchi and laughed.

///Later///

"It always happens, but you're reckless." Leorio said while Gon helped Todo get on the edge of the cliff.

"I'm alright." Gon said.

"Todo is a rotten Spider-Eagle's egg!" I shouted and laughed. "You're the last one to get back up."

"Time's up!" Menchi announced. "Show me the eggs you guys got."

Todo stood up and walked towards Menchi. He looked back at Gon. "Don't think badly of me. The egg is mine." He said with a smirk.

"That bastard." Leorio gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry. We're the one's who should be smirking right now." I said to Leorio, Kurapika, Killua, & Gon and pulled out two eggs from my arm warmers. I showed it to them and winked. "Don't ask. A thief never tells."

Gon took one egg from me and showed it to Menchi. "Here you go."

"You, when did you--?" Todo was shocked.

Menchi took the egg. "You're pretty smart little boy. But, why'd you feel like saving number 255 during the test?" She asked as she looked at the egg.

"Because… he asked for help." Gon answered.

"Just like that?" She asked. "Are you simple-minded or something?"

"He sure is!" I answered.

Leorio held Gon and rubbed his head with his knuckles. "You did it, you. Take that!"

"It's too early to celebrate!" Menchi shouted. "The test isn't over. Now, you guys will prepare the boiled egg." We gathered around the big pot (bigger than Buhara) filled with boiling water and put our eggs in it. "Let me tell you that a boiled egg is a dish as well. The time you boil it is the most important point. It doesn't necessarily mean that you can boil a Spider-Eagle egg the same way as a normal egg. If you boil it too much, I guess I don't have to tell you what it's gonna be like." She explained. Nets were handed to us which we are gonna use for picking the egg up from the water. "If it's soft-boiled, you'll fail of course."

"Maybe it's good about now." Leorio said.

"No, a little bit longer." Kurapika replied.

"I don't even know a normal egg's boiling time." Killua said.

Buhara suddenly groaned. "You just groaned." Gon said to Buhara.

"Which means…" Leorio said.

"Now!" People around the pot reached for an egg. "Now's the time!"

…

We just got done taking our eggs when they gave us each a chicken egg. Menchi showed to us her chicken egg. "This one's a normal egg." And she took out a Spider-Eagle egg. "And this one's a Spider-Eagle egg. Now compare the two." Each of us took a bite on both eggs.

"I like the Spider-Eagle egg better than chicken egg."

"It's rich in flavor, and has a deep taste that seems to melt on your tongue." Kuraika said. "It's as if the Spider-Eagle's life force is still active."

"Yeah. I've never tasted a boiled egg like this." Leorio said.

"It was worth risking our lives to get this." The bald ninja said.

"This one's much easier to notice." Gon said. "I didn't know if the _mold rice_ was good."

"It's not mold; it's moss!" Menchi yelled at him. "Horn moss! I told you it's a delicacy."

Gon looked at Todo. "I'll give half to you, Todo-san." He said and gave the half-eaten Spider-Eagle egg to him.

"O-okay." Todo took a bite and chewed. His eyes widened. "It's delicious; it's seriously good. Something as good as this exists in this world?"

"When one discovers something delicious that no one has ever tried before, there's joy and excitement equivalent to capturing a famous wanted criminal or discovering a treasure." Menchi told him. "That's why we Epicure Hunters are proud of what we are."

"I'll be back next year…" Todo walked away.

"You were awesome!" Gon said to Menchi.

"Well, I'm known as the genius Epicure Hunter. I have to do something Examiner-like." She said to Gon and turned to Netero. "Now, President Netero." Netero nodded. "Second Exam, 42 people pass!" She announced. "Menchi's menu is now complete!"

Everyone who's left rejoiced. "Yeah!" All those who passed went inside the airship.

"I wonder what's the next exam…" I said to Gon and Killua.

"Hey, Haku…" Killua called me. "I just noticed…"

"What?" I asked.

"Your friends often seem to call you 'Kumi'. Why is that?" He asked.

"Don't answer, Gon. He asked me." I pointed at myself. "Well, my real name is Hakumi so Kumi could be used as my nickname. But I don't like Kumi because it sound like a girl's name." I explained. "They think I'm a girl because they said I look like one." I stopped and looked at him. "Do you think I'm a girl?" I narrowed my eyes on him.

"No, I don't." Killua said.

"Good." I smiled and turned to Gon. "I guess you, Leorio, and Kurapika would live after all."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading :] and also for revieweing.


	11. Family of Assassins

**Gon:** Raijuu-chan is not here right now. She said she wanted me and Ku- Haku to handle the A/N for now. She said it was because she enjoyed eating chocolate chip cookies that she accidentally bit her cheek and died. :]

**Haku: **Raijuu-chan said she doesn't own Hunter X Hunter and the characters in it. The only thing she owns is Hakumi and Ryuu. She said she wanted to put on the disclaimer because she feels like it. And she will come back from the dead whenever she feels like it. Oh! And she said 'Please Review.' :]

* * *

/In The Airship/Haku's POV

"Again, good job everyone." Menchi announced. "The 42 people here have passed the 2nd Exam. We are scheduled to arrive at the next destination at 8:00 AM."

"This tension is fine with me." Netero said. "Everyone sure looks serious."

The small pink bald guy in the suit looked like he forgot something important. He looked at the time and turned to Netero. "Mr. Netero, we have to get back to the Hunter Committee for the meeting." He panicked.

Netero frowned "That's not really important. Someone else can go instead of me. It can't be helped, since we had an unexpected incident." Netero chuckled as Menchi stared at them. "If something else happens, I should be here to resolve it. So I'm just gonna tag along." Menchi sighed.

"President! You are the President so…" Menchi coughed to get their attention and she turned back to us. "Until the next meeting, it's free time. The meeting is over!"

"She said it's free time." Gon said to us as Killua stretched his arms.

"Yeah. Hey, wanna explore the airship?" Killua asked us. Gon nodded in reply.

"Me? Oh, no, thanks. I need to steal in order to regain my 'awesomeness'." I whispered to them and looked around, searching for people who I can make fun of. Gon, Killua and I put our bags beside the wall next to Kurapika and Leorio.

"Hey, Kurapika, Leorio." Gon called. "You're gonna explore the airship with us, right?"

"No, I'll pass." Kurapika replied with a sigh as he sat down.

"I'll pass, too." Leorio replied. "I'm too tired. Just go by yourselves."

"Okay, see you later." Gon said as he headed off with Killua.

"Don't forget to get in trouble!" I shouted to them.

"No problem!" Killua shouted back to me.

I looked around and most of the people were staring at me… why wouldn't they be? I just shouted a weird reminder to my brother! _No matter! I have to find something cool to steal!_

"What an energetic bunch." Leorio said. "I just wanna sleep."

"Me, too. It was a terribly long day." Kurapika agreed. "I have to rest when I can."

"You guys should be careful." Tonpa walked in front of us. "This place might be the Third Exam Center. Also, the meeting might not be at 8:00 AM. 'The Exam ended while you were asleep' this situation is possible. All I'm saying is-"

"Yeah yeah yeah! You should stop talking now, they need to rest. Now, leave." I shooed Tonpa away. He didn't move, instead, he glared at me. Ryuu went in front of me… he growled at Tonpa. I glared back at Tonpa and smirked. And then, I stood up. "Are you challenging me to a duel, Tonpa?"

"I guess I am." He replied.

I crossed my arms and smiled as I shook my head slowly. "Sorry, I don't fight with losers like you."

"Why you..!" He grabbed my shirt and pulled me up. Ryuu went near Tonpa's leg and opened his mouth to bite him.

"Don't interfere, Ryuu." I turned back to Tonpa. "Weren't you the one who said that you're an _All-Time Loser_? Now can you please let go of me? You're making my shirt all wrinkled and stuff." He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He just decided to let go of my shirt and leave us alone. _Hehehe! _I stopped as I saw Tonpa's wallet—which I stole during the conversation._ What a lame wallet! I'm so glad I can steal but it frustrates me when I steal these kinds of boring things._ I hid Tonpa's wallet behind a plant so I wouldn't be blamed. I searched for other things to steal… like a… like… uhh… nevermind. _AHA!_ "Hey, Ryuu." I whispered. "Can you make me invisible, too?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded. He climbed up to me and the next second, I felt myself become lighter. I couldn't see any part of me or Ryuu, but I could feel him on my shoulder and his tail wrapped around my arm. _This is cool! Ryuu and I could steal more things this way! I should teach him some stealing skills that I know. But for now, let the Stealing… BEGIN! _I went through other people's stuff but nowhere near Hisoka and 'pincushion guy'.

…a little later…

I was with Ryuu, checking out the things we stole, in the boys' restroom cubicle (there were no other private rooms where we could hide). _Let's see, we stole... a few wallets, a pocket watch, some keys… how boring! Tsk! I bet Gon and Killua are having fun right now._ I left all the stolen things there. Ryuu and I turned invisible and went outside to search for Gon and Killua.

/Upstairs/

"Hey, what do you think?" Menchi asked Buhara.

"About the candidates this year?" He asked her back.

"Yeah. Although I did fail all of them once, I think most of them have a good chance." Menchi said. "Some of them were surrounded by good auras. Satotsu-san, what do you think?"

"Let's see. The rookies are good this year." He replied.

Menchi chuckled. "You think so, too? I think number 294 was pretty good. But not because he's bald."

"Yeah, he was the only one who knew about sushi." Buhara agreed.

"Number 99 is on the top of the list for me." Satotsu said. "His smell is most uncommon. He has the qualities… he must have received some sort of special training."

"He's probably a selfish brat." Menchi said. "His blood type is definitely B. I wouldn't be able to live with him. What about you Buhara?" She asked him.

"Well, he's not a rookie, but number 44 caught my attention." Buhara replied. "He has murder in his eyes since we arrived. With such violent intentions, he can't hold them in."

"Of course I knew. I was in a bad mood because of that. He was always trying to pick a fight with me." Menchi said to them.

"He did the same to me as well."

"Even you, Satotsu-san?" Menchi asked.

"He's the same type of person as us." Satotsu said. "Just that he prefers to dwell in the dark side. We, Hunters, seek a rival somewhere. To him, this Hunter Exam is a field competition."

"Field competition?" Menchi repeated.

"It's a term used in Karate which is a type of martial arts taught in a land far to the east." Satotsu explained. "It's when someone who isn't satisfied with normal practice goes out into the city to look for someone strong and challenges them to a fight to work his skills. He's dangerous. He's a heretic among heretics. Someone who is able to step on the accelerator… where we would usually step on the brakes."

/Hallway/Haku's POV

I was now visibly walking in the hallway with Ryuu and then I saw Gon and Killua sitting on a bench beside the window. "There weren't any fun places." Killua said to me.

"Really? Oh well..." I looked at Gon and grinned. "So… did you get in trouble?" I asked him excitedly.

"Yes, I thought it was pretty fun." Gon said and laughed a bit.

I put my hands to my hips. "Hehehe… I told you. Nothing is more fun than getting into trouble!"

He suddenly stopped and kneeled on the bench to look outside. "Wow…"

I did the same and I saw city lights shining. "Cool!"

"It looks like jewelry that is spread out all over the place." Gon said.

"You two have never seen a night view before?" Killua asked us.

"Before, Kiriko-san carried us at night. But there wasn't this much light." Gon replied.

"What about you, Killua?" I asked. Gon and I both looked at him.

"My family owns a plane. So I've seen it a million times." Killua replied.

"Damn you." Gon said to him and looked back outside.

"We need a plane. Our house is on a huge mountain."

"Eh?" Gon and I synchronized.

"We also have about 200 workers."

"So your family is rich." Gon said.

"What do your parents do?" I asked.

"Assassins." He said without even looking at us.

"Both of them?" I asked.

Killua suddenly looked at us and laughed. "You're funny. You're the first one to ask something like that so seriously."

"But it's true right?" Gon asked.

Killua stopped laughing and looked back outside. "How'd you know?"

"I sort of know." Gon said.

"Weird. People find me charming because you don't know when I'm serious or not."

"Charming?" I repeated.

"All my family members are assassins. We kill anyone if we get the money. And among them all, it's believed I'll become a good assassin. Since I was a child, I've been learning how to kill. But I don't like to live a life where someone else determines what I do. When I said 'I'm going to pick my own future', my family got pissed." He pointed at himself. "My mom even lectured me, while crying, about how much potential I have as an assassin. Don't you think they're terrible parents? Normally, someone would become a delinquent child. It became a fight in the end so I beat up my mom and brother and left the house. They're probably looking for me very hard right now. But, if they do come, I'll beat them up. If I do become a Hunter, I'm gonna capture all of my family members." He smiled and clapped his hands. "I think I'll be able to sell them for a good price."

"Killua, you're amazing." Gon said. "I never thought of surpassing my dad like you."

"I see." His face turned serious again. "I guess capturing my dad would mean I have to surpass him."

"Yeah, you'll be able to do it." I said to him.

"That's not very convincing." Killua said. "You know nothing about my dad."

"But it's your dad, right, Killua? We sort of know." Gon said.

"You're ganging up on me…" Killua said.

"No, it's just most of the time, Gon and I think the same." I said. "Probably because we're twins."

"You mean _all_ the time. Hey, wanna get some tea?" After he asked that, his face suddenly became serious and ran towards the intersection. Gon and I followed him.

"What's wrong?" Gon asked him.

"Nothing." He smiled. "Let's go drink some lava tea."

/The Airship's Canteen/

Killua started to become all quiet and serious after he tried to follow the weird things he's seeing. "Killua." Gon called him. "You're acting weird."

"Not really." He said and took a sip of his lava tea.

"Yes really." I said. "Oh, nevermind."

"Hey, how many more Exams do we have to take?" Gon asked.

"Don't know." Killua replied. He seemed to be thinking about something really important.

"Are you mad?" Gon asked.

He stared at our worried looking faces and looked down. "It's not your fault."

Just after he said that, an examinee walked in front of our table… number 111. She looked like a teenager. "Is this seat taken?" She asked us.

The moment I saw her, my eyes narrowed again. _For the last time? What's happening with me?_ I shook my head. "No. Not at all." I answered.

She sat between Gon and Killua. "I'm Anita."

"So you're Anita-san." Gon said. "I'm Gon, he's Haku, and he's Killua." Gon stopped as soon as he saw Killua. _I think Killua's in a bad mood._

"I… want to become a Blacklist Hunter." She suddenly spoke.

"Is there someone you wanna capture?" Gon asked her.

"I want revenge…" She said and looked at Killua. "…revenge for my father's murder. My father was a merchant of a spice mine. He organized a fleet and exported spice stones all over the world from the spice mine. At the height of prosperity, he had enough profit to buy a small country."

"Wow, amazing." Gon said.

"But there was someone who was envious of my father's success. So a rival merchant hired an assassin. There was no need to research who did it. The name of the assassin was the Zoldyck family. They're a family of assassins whose name carries a bad reputation throughout the world."

"Family of assassins… then that means…" Gon said exactly what I was thinking. We both turned to Killua, who was now smirking.

"I see, I see. It must be tough. It's very sad." Leorio suddenly appeared next to Anita. His arm was already around her shoulders. "I understand how you feel. Let's become Hunters together and fulfill that dream. My name is Leorio." He said to Anita… _I thought he was tired._ I rolled my eyes. "What's your name?" He asked Anita.

"She's Anita-san." Gon answered.

"Anita? That's a nice name." Leorio said. "How about it? How about chatting about our dreams over there, adult to adult, instead of talking to these kids?" _Leorio... pretty girls, eh? _

"I'm not in the mood for that kind of thing!" Anita closed her eyes in irritation. "Leave me alone!"

"We can't do that." Kurapika suddenly appeared, too. "My name is Kurapika. I'm trying to become a Blacklist Hunter Myself. So I can't think of your problem as a stranger's problem."

"Don't get involved." Killua spoke. "She has a grudge against me."

Anita slapped Leorio's hands off her shoulder and stood up. "I've heard a rumor… that someone from the Zoldyck family was gonna take this year's Hunter Exam."

"Bingo! I AM a member of the Zoldyck family." Killua smirked. "No question about that." I saw Anita hold her weapon.

"So that's why you took the Hunter Exam. You wanted revenge." Leorio said.

"You should remember this…" Killua said to Anita. "Only a person who is really hated by others gets killed by an assassin."

"You will pay!" Anita shouted and turned the table onto us. Gon, Ryuu and I quickly got off the table and dodged it. Kurapika tried to stop Anita from stabbing Killua but she pushed him back. Anita tried to stab Killua but ended up stabbing the seat, instead. Killua was fast… he was already behind Anita before I could blink.

Anita charged at Killua… "Stop right there!" Netero-sama stopped Anita from attacking.

"Don't stop her." Killua said to him. "What a nosy old geezer."

"Examiners aren't normally supposed to deal with conflicts among candidates." He said. "But candidate number 111 has failed the Second Exam. No matter the reason, a person who has failed the Exam won't even be able to compete with one who has passed."

…

I found Killua alone in the hallway and walked towards him. He saw me through my reflection in the window (Ryuu with Kurapika, sleeping). "Killua." I whispered.

"What do you want?" He asked as he looked away from me. "You know now that I'm a guy who earns people's grudges."

"But, it's not like you killed him."

"Why do you say that?"

"Gon and I just sort of know…" I said. "Mito-san, our aunt, told us… if you want to know that person, know what that person is angry about. We want to know more about you, Killua."

"Leave me alone." He said. "Just let me be by myself." I didn't leave. "Go away!" He looked at me through the mirror. "I said go away!" He shouted as he quickly turned around and tried to kill me. But he stopped before his hand could touch my neck.

"Go ahead if you want to kill me. I'm just saying."

He stared at me. He looked kinda surprised. "Do as you like." He said as he turned his back to me.

"It itches, it itches. My butt itches!" Killua and I turned around and saw Netero-sama facing a wall, scratching his ass. He turned to us and said, "I heard everything from Anita. You're a member of an assassin family."

"And if that's true?" Killua asked looking angry.

"Don't be so tense." Netero said.

"You're the one trying to pick a fight with me." Killua replied.

"Netero-sama, what'll happen to Anita-san?" I asked.

"According to the situation, she might lose the right to take the Hunter Exam permanently."

"Is it possible not to do that?"

"I can't say…" Netero thought for a moment. "Oh well, I guess I can. But only if you win a bet against me."

"Game on!" I shouted. _I love bets._

/In an Empty Room in the Airship/

Gon, Killua and I were with Netero-sama in the room. His clothes were different now and he was dribbling a ball. "Don't worry. It's a really simple game." He said. "You have until the next destination point. If you can get this ball from me, you guys win." He said as he balanced the ball on his finger. "Then I'll let her go for free."

"I don't wanna do this." Killua said. "Why should I do this for that girl?"

"Me too. I don't want any pity from an assassin member." Anita agreed.

"Oh my, this is only a game. Relax a bit." Netero played with the ball in his hands. "Or do you lack the confidence to beat me?"

Killua glared at Netero. "What did you say?" _Killua sure doesn't like to be misunderstood._ "Fine. I'll add another bonus to this. If you guys win, you'll become Hunters without taking the Exam."

"What? Is that okay?" Gon, Killua and I synchronized.

"I am the President." He said. "If I say okay, then it's okay."

The three of us exchanged looks. "That's really irresponsible."

"You guys can attack me any way you want. I won't attack you."

"Are you really okay about this?" Killua asked him.

"I'm okay, okay!"

Killua smirked. "Then I'll go first." Killua ran straight towards him and reached for the ball. With that speed, he can't even touch the ball. He tried several times and failed. Killua stared at him for a while. Netero was really fast, even in that age. Killua ran towards him and kicked Netero's right leg. The next moment, Netero was still playing with the ball and Killua was hopping on one foot. "Ouch! Owwww…!"

"That was a nice kick." Netero said as he balanced the ball on his forehead. "If you kicked a normal person's leg, their leg would've shattered."

"This geezer's leg is like a steel frame." Killua said.

Netero laughed. "What's the matter? Finished already?" He asked.

They paused for a moment and then Killua walked around him. The next second, Killua disappeared.

"Man, I need to get my eyes fixed!" I said as I rubbed my eyes. Netero looked around and searched for Killua. I heard a squeak and behind Netero came Killua.

"Gotcha!" He shouted as he charged at Netero.

* * *

**Raijuu: **Minna-sama! I'm back! Sorry for not doing my best in the previous chapter… and this one, too. I think I'm losing interest in writing the story! . :[ I hope not... Well, better get on with the next one! Mata ne~!


	12. Let's Play Ball

**Raijuu: **Hi guys! Sorry for the wait. Thanks for cheering me up… ^^, I'm really happy that I have _friends_ like you. Well, I hope you guys will like this. :]

**~recap~**

"Ouch! Owwww…!"

"That was a nice kick." Netero said as he balanced the ball on his forehead. "If you kicked a normal person's leg, their leg would've shattered."

"This geezer's leg is like a steel frame." Killua said.

Netero laughed. "What's the matter? Finished already?" He asked.

They paused for a moment and then Killua walked around him. The next second, Killua disappeared.

"Man, I need to get my eyes fixed!" I said as I rubbed my eyes. Netero looked around and searched for Killua. I heard a squeak and behind Netero came Killua.

"Gotcha!" He shouted as he charged at Netero.

**~end recap~**

Killua caught the ball… or at least I thought he did. Netero managed to get the ball away from Killua by doing a backflip. _Wow! He got away from Killua super fast! Sugoiiiiiiiii!_ Netero looked at Anita. "Young lady, don't try anything stupid. This is a match between him and me. There's no need to interfere." He said as he balanced the ball on his finger.

"Old man." Killua called. "This is a pretty fun game. I think I'm gonna try a bit harder now." He said as he took off his short-sleeved shirt (he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under it). He ran and tried to catch the ball but he failed. He reached several times for the ball but he couldn't even touch it. He reached again but this time, he grabbed Netero's wrist with one hand and tried to grab the ball with the other. But… Netero threw the ball to Killua's face. Killua fell down on his side holding his face. "Ouch!" He sat. "You broke the rule! You said you wouldn't attack!" He shouted with his hand still on his face.

"I was trying to pass the ball. It's just that your face was in the path of the ball." Netero replied tossing the ball above his head.

"Gon, let's switch." He said. "Be careful, though. This old man is tricky."

"Okay, I understand." Go said as he stretched his legs and arms. "I'll try." He dashed towards Netero-sama. The next second, he vanished. The only thing left was his green shirt. I searched for him everywhere and found him on the ceiling.

Gon landed and after that, he rolled on the floor while holding his head. "Ouch!" He screamed. A few seconds later, he quickly stood up and scratched the back of his head. "I messed up."

Netero dribbled the ball again. "Looks like I can't go easy on you. I'll have to try a bit harder." Gon stared at the ball as Netero dribbled it. He reached for it many many times and he suddenly fell on his knees. He rested for a bit. "Oh? Are you tired already?" Netero asked. "How pitiful. You're so young."

"Gon!" Killua called. "Get some rest."

"My turn!" I said as I stretched my arms and legs. I turned my cap around so that the visor isn't in the way. "Ryuu, stay." I patted his head.

"I can't even touch it." He said as he wiped the sweat off his face. _Let's get it on, Netero-sama._ I ran towards the ball and when I got near it, I used my hands to stand and tried to kick Netero-sama's chin using my leg. I frowned when I discovered that I only kicked his long beard. :[ I stood up on my feet again. I ran towards Netero-sama and gripped his wrist. He did the same to me as he did to Killua before.

I fell on my front and felt my cap loosen up a bit. "That hurt." I growled as I fixed my cap. _This may be bad. They might find out I'm a girl! . Let"s not try that again. We wouldn't want anyone to find out that I'm a girl do we? _"Let's do this!" I dashed towards him and tried to grab the ball but he stepped aside. "Ow!" I bumped onto the wall. "Damn it!"

... and so we went on, and on, and on… taking turns in playing. We got really tired. Gon and I gasped for air while watching Killua try to get the ball. It's really lucky that my secret hasn't been revealed yet even though my cap was getting loose. I try my best to hide my hair.

"This is going nowhere." Netero said. "Why don't you three try at the same time?"

"Gon, Haku, get over here!" Killua shouted. We ran beside Killua. "Don't get confused by the ball's movements. If you concentrate on it too much, he'll read your movements." I nodded in reply. We chased Netero and reached for the ball… and same as always, we failed to get it. "Surround him." Killua commanded. Gon and Killua went to Netero's sides and I jumped over him.

Netero let go of the ball and then, he stopped us from catching the ball by blocking our paths with the ball. He laughed. "You three have a good expression on your face. It's indeed the face of a Hunter who's going after something." He said as he dribbled the ball. "Would you like to take a break?"

"Not yet!" Gon shouted as he ran towards Netero to kick him.

"That's not fair! You increased your attack range!" Netero shouted as he dodged Gon's right shoe. While Netero is distracted by Gon's kick, Killua slid beside him and kicked the back of his knees, and I jumped to grab the ball.

"We got it!" I shouted even before I can touch the ball.

"You spoke too soon!" Netero stood on one hand and kicked the ball away from me. He stood on his foot again and reached for the ball. But Gon knocked the ball away using his other shoe. While we had the chance, Killua and I chased the ball and reached for it. But the next second, Netero was between us and ahead of us. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back with some strands of my hair revealed. I quickly put it back inside my cap._ Good thing no one saw that. _"That was close. That's worth a 'nice try' award." I stayed there, very surprised. I looked back to the place Netero-sama was before he appeared between me and Killua… there was a mark on the floor shaped like a foot… Netero-sama's foot.

"Wasn't that amazing, Killu…" Gon stopped talking. I looked at Killua… he looked shocked.

He was holding his shoulders and shaking a bit. "This isn't good." He closed his eyes. "I… give up…"

"Oh? That's too bad." We watched as he hurried outside. "What about you two? Want to give up?"

"No, I'm still going to try." Gon said. "We almost got it a while ago. Besides, we still have time. Right, Haku?" He asked me.

"Yeah. And more importantly, it'd be rude to Anita-san if we just gave up." I added. _Hm? Maybe Killua's right about me and Gon agree with each other all the time… maybe._

"It's impossible!" Anita shouted. "President Netero hasn't been using his right hand or left leg. Even if you go after the ball for a year, you won't be able to get it."

Both of our jaws dropped. o "Oh? You noticed?" Netero said as he stood on one foot. "I thought I was hiding it pretty well."

"Now you know. Don't mind me. So please give up." Anita said as she crossed her arms.

"NO!" We shouted like spoiled kids.

"I said it's useless." Anita said. "You can never get the ball."

"Yeah, that's true." I said.

"But it's too early to give up. We'll at least make Netero-san use his right hand in the remaining time." Gon added.

"Don't forget the left leg." I reminded.

"Do as you like. I'm going back to my cell." She said. The two guards opened the door and Anita walked out as the two guards followed her.

"Oh my. Now that the 2 main characters are gone, I guess I've put the cart in front of the horse." Netero said.

"Hey, Netero-san." Gon called. "The way Killua disappeared back there. How do I do that?"

"That technique is like a patent for underground businesses." Netero replied. "There's no need for you to know." I walked behind Netero-sama and fixed my hair while he's busy talking with Gon. "Actually, you shouldn't know."

"But it's an amazing technique, right?" Gon asked.

"Yes. You have to train very hard in order to acquire it." Netero-sama replied. I finished fixing my hair and went beside Gon.

"Killua is amazing!" Gon turned around and looked at the door. Then, he quickly reached for the ball… buuttt… he didn't catch it.

"Too slow." Netero-sama said and we got back to the game.

/Later/

We were now on the airship's terrace (sorry, I dunno what to call it). Gon and I panted as we watched Netero-sama stand on one foot. "Your little friend here is one tough kid." He said to me.

I laughed. "Actually, he's my twin." Gon ran and jumped over Netero-sama. While he's distracted, I ran towards him and attempted to kick his stomach. I didn't kick him because he stepped backward… but Gon hit him using his rod. Hehehe. He accidentally let go of the ball as I tried to grab it. But he was faster than me! Even with my thief speed, I couldn't keep up.

"Looks like you two are serious now." Netero said.

Gon landed and ran towards him. "Here comes another shot!" He jumped up and tried to hit Netero with the rod again.

"I'm not gonna fall for the same trick." Netero ran away. But I kicked the back of his knees and made him fall down.

"Now!" Gon shouted and charged at Netero-sama. He pretended to reach for the ball and head-butted Netero-sama's stomach.

"Damn it! He didn't let go!" I shouted as Netero-sama stopped himself from gliding.

"Ouch!" Gon held his head while sitting down on the floor. He stood up again and charged to head-butt Netero-sama's stomach. I, too, charged at Netero-sama to head-butt him.

"I'll just run away!" Netero-sama suddenly yelled and jumped up high… which made us fall overboeard. _Hehe! Good thing Gon was with his rod, or else I wouldn't be holding on to his hand right now._

I laughed with Gon. "Don't worry! We're safe!" I shouted and after that, frowned. "But my secret isn't." I said to Gon. _My cap…_ We swung over the railings and kicked Netero-sama's face. Boom! He let go of the ball.

"We got it!" Gon shouted as we chased the ball…

… but Netero-sama was really quick that he caught the ball first. "No, you don't. That was a close one."

"You just used both your right hand and left leg, right?" Gon and I both said and grinned.

"Huh? Err… yeah." Netero-sama said as he turned around to look at us.

"Yes! Awesome. We did it!" I shouted as Gon and I jumped up and down and did a high five.

"Yeah! We won!" Gon shouted and fell on his back.

"Gon!" Killua came towards us.

"Killua! Were you watching?" Gon asked. "We made Netero-san use both his arms and legs…" After he said that, he suddenly fell asleep.

"I knew you were a girl." I was startled by Killua… he wasn't smirking but he didn't look mad either. I looked at my hair and I didn't know what I should do. "You always ask me if I think you're a girl or if you looked like a girl. That's when I knew." He smirked and crossed his arms. "I just decided to play along, instead."

"W-well… I'm sorry for not telling you but I don't want people to call me a girl. It's just too… girly." I explained.

"It's okay." He replied. "But somebody else would find out that you're a girl if you're not wearing your hat."

"I have another one in my bag." I smiled. We watched as Gon slept on the floor with a nice, big smile *u*.

/On the Top of a Tower/Morning/

We landed on the top of a tower… a huge tower. It's pretty breezy up here. "President Netero said he wouldn't punish me for sneaking on board." Anita said to us. "Thank you. It's all thanks to you."

"It was nothing." Gon and I replied.

Killua walked towards Anita. He lifted his hand and showed her an earring. _So that's why Anita-san has only one earring. _"You dropped it."

Anita snatched it from Killua's hand. "It was a present from my father."

"That's a spice mineral crystal. Purified spice minerals can be addicting." Killua said.

"Once you taste it, it's the end. You become addicted to it." Kurapika explained.

"I heard that there were many who sold their property to buy the spice." Leorio added.

"That's a lie!" Anita shouted.

"It's true." Netero-sama said.

"You didn't know?" Killua asked.

Anita looked like she was about to cry. "My father was a nice person. And my father was surrounded by many people with smiles on their faces." Tears came down on her cheeks as she spoke.

"Your happiness was built upon the misfortunes of those people." Killua said before walking away.

"Still, he was an important father to me." She cried.

Gon walked towards her. "Hey, you should take the Exam next year, too so you can become a real Blacklist Hunter."

…

"I hope you enjoyed your flight." The pink small guy in the suit announced. "Here, Trick Tower, is the location of the Third Exam. Now for the details, the rule is simple: Get off this Tower alive! The time limit is 72 hrs."

"I'm guessing… this wouldn't be easy." I said to Gon and Killua.

Raijuu: Thanks for reading "Hunter X Hunter, with my OC". Well, I was thinking… I want to change the title because it sounds boring to me. Could you please help me? I'd be really happy. ^^, BTW. Kurapika and Leorio's turn to host in the next chapter! Have a nice day, minna-sama~!


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